Spelthorne Borough Council sought help with evidence to justify their policies as part of their Local Plan review. In 2022, staff at Temple were appointed to prepare a report considering land supply issues entitled “Planning for Housing Delivery”. This considered whether it was appropriate for the council to release land from the Green Belt to meet housing needs. As the author of evidence documents supporting the housing policies in the Local Plan, Ivan Tennant then appeared for the council at the Examination in Public (EIP) hearings in May 2023 to defend their evidence in respect of the need for affordable and market housing and for specialist housing, for example housing for older people.

What was our solution?

The “Planning for housing delivery” report undertook a detailed analysis of market signals and the council’s monitoring data of completed homes to understand the demand and supply balance in the residential housing market in the borough. This facilitated a granular assessment of trends, and the implications for housing delivery based on the distribution of allocated sites.

At the EIP, Ivan prepared written responses to the inspector’s matters, issues and questions (MIQs) and rebuttal statements to representations from other parties; he conducted pre-hearing briefings with council officers, attending hearings and answered further questions on relevant matters posed by the Inspector.

How did we add value?

As a result of the report, the council decided to remove several parcels of land from the Green Belt. These now form part of the council’s land supply pipeline.