Self and custom build housing provision

The request was partially successful.

Dear Waverley Borough Council,

Under the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015, local planning authorities are required to return data regarding self-build supply and demand. This data is returned to central government annually, with the ‘year end’ fixed as the 31st of October each year.

As part of this data return, the local planning authority counts the number of self-build or custom build building plots it has permitted in the previous 12 months.

The Right to Build Task Force has produced planning guidance on how to calculate this number, which can be found on their website here: https://righttobuild.org.uk/resources/pl....
Two documents within this guidance are of particular importance:

PG 10 Counting Relevant Permissioned Plots
PG13. Monitoring Custom and Self Build

In the interest of transparency we would like to analyse how the local authority has arrived at the number of plots it has permitted for each year, as presented to central government.

Document PG13: Monitoring Custom and Self Build, paragraph 30 states:

“30. As the counting of relevant permissioned plots is a nuanced and complex matter, the inclusion of permissions within the council’s CSB land supply should be fully evidence based and justified. This will provide the council with a defensible custom and self build land supply position that the council can take into account as part of the development management process. It will also enable the council to understand the extent to which the council is meeting its statutory duties. It is considered that the following information should be recorded:

Location (town / parish)
Site address
Description of development
Council ref (application reference)
Application type (eg outline, reserved matters)
Related application references (where applicable)
Applicant
Applicant type
Site type
Gross new dwellings
Net new dwellings
CIL Self Build Relief (where applicable)
Date validated / received
Decision
Decision date
Relevant base period (permission granted)
Building regulations commencement date
Completion notice
Submission of CIL Part II
Marketing information
Evidence (see paragraph 25)
Notes”

In order to analyse the self-build plots reported to central government we would like to see as much of the above list from PG13 as the council has recorded.

We are therefore requesting the following:

The full available information used by the council to calculate the number of permitted self-build plots for each of the following years:
Year ending 30 October 2019
Year ending 30 October 2020
Year ending 30 October 2021
Any partial information you hold on Year ending 30 October 2022

For ease of data return we are happy to receive the data in whatever format it is currently held. We would like as much of the list of information quoted in PG13 paragraph 30 as the council has already recorded.

Yours faithfully,

Milo Mason

Freedom of Information, Waverley Borough Council

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Dear Milo Mason

Thank you for submitting this request for information. We have assigned
your request the following reference: AI2/2859 and will provide further
updates via email.

If you have any queries regarding this request, please contact us by
replying to this message

Kind Regards

Legal Services Team
Waverley Borough Council
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Dear Milo Mason,

Request for Information – AI2/2859

Thank you for your email to request information which has been processed
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

Please see the response attached.

In the event you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you
have the right to ask for an internal review, which will be carried out by
a separate Council Officer.

Please remember to quote your reference number in all future
correspondence.

If you are still not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review,
you have the right to apply directly to the information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF.
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: [1]www.ico.org.uk

Yours sincerely,
Chloe Santer
Legal Administrator, Legal and Democratic Services
Waverley Borough Council, The Burys, Godalming, Surry. GU7 1HR
www.waverley/gov.uk

 

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