Council’s latest land supply figure gives further boost to home seekers

Cheshire East Council can demonstrate a housing land supply figure of 6.4 years – which is great news for home buyers.

This latest figure is well above government’s required five-year threshold, which all councils are expected to show when contesting planning applications that run contrary to local planning guidelines. 

It means there is greater opportunity for people who want to get on the housing ladder, access affordable housing or move into a new home.

Cheshire East has seen record levels of housebuilding in recent years. Between 2017 and 2020, nearly 8,500 new homes were built across the borough. This is more than 1,000 above the total number of homes completed in the previous seven years. 

This boost in the number of homes and the achievement of a five-year supply of housing land has been made possible by the adoption of the council’s Local Plan Strategy in 2017. 

Councillor Toni Fox, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for planning, said: “At appeal, we’re in the hands of Inspectors. But, by maintaining a five-year supply of housing land, it gives us the best chance of steering new housing development to sites that are supported by the Local Plan Strategy and to present our case that speculative developments – in the countryside, on the edge of towns and in villages that are contrary to local policies – should not be allowed.

“The council has changed the way the five-year housing land supply requirement is calculated, following an appeal decision last year. This has made things more challenging, as it now involves showing that we can, within the next five years, fully catch up with the remaining shortfall in housebuilding that occurred between 2010 and 2017. 

“Although this raises the bar, we are still able demonstrate a housing land supply figure well above the government’s required benchmark.

“This latest assessment means we can properly meet the demand for new homes, including affordable housing, that people need.”

Cheshire East’s latest five-year housing land supply position is set out in the Housing Monitoring Update 2020.