Havering Council’s planning committee is to have less power to turn down proposed developments, thanks to its failure to hit its set targets.
The council’s annual monitoring report, published last week ahead of cabinet on March 8, shows that only 624 new homes were built in 2021/22, a third of the target set by the Mayor of London.
As a result, the authority’s planning decisions are to be subject to a rule known as “presumption in favour of sustainable development”.
This means planning committee members should approve all developments unless they believe the “adverse impacts” would significantly “outweigh the benefits”.
If a Havering planning committee does reject a development that is later approved on appeal in front of a planning inspector, the council may be liable for their legal costs.
Cabinet member for development and regeneration Cllr Graham Williamson said that the annual monitoring report is a “mixed bag”, as it also shows that 30 per cent more family homes are being built.
However, only 70 of the 624 homes built in 2021/22 were 'affordable' and 19 social rent council homes were lost.
The report, which monitors whether the council is hitting targets and priorities in its Local Plan, is the first to be published since 2017/18.
This is because the former Conservative administration did not approve the current Local Plan until November 2021, five years after it was first due.
Under the Local Plan, the council set a target of building about 8,500 homes by 2021.
However, failure to build enough in recent years means a shortfall of about 2,300 homes has been added to the current target along with a 20pc buffer, bringing the total to 12,943 new homes within the next five years.
Housing targets for local councils include all new developments in the borough, most of which are out of the council’s direct control.
Inflation and a rise in construction costs have forced many house building projects to slow down or pause, including Havering Council’s own flagship 12 Estates regeneration programme.
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Plans for new homes in Beam Park also stalled in 2021 amidst uncertainty over a new train station.
Council leader Ray Morgon, who pledged a “full review” of the Local Plan if he was elected in May last year, launched a “refresh” last week.
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