Decision Maker:

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: No

Date of Decision: September 25, 2025

Purpose:

Content: Motion 1 – Provision of housing, particularly affordable and sustainable housing, in Somerset through inclusiveness and partnership.   Councillor Habib Farbahi proposed the recommendations which were seconded by Councillor Henry Hobhouse.   Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Council Resolved the following: Somerset Council recognised that there was a housing crisis both nationally and in Somerset, which stemmed from the failure of past governments over many decades to ensure replacement of social housing, which had been sold to its previous tenants, with sufficiently more social housing to allow those requiring it to obtain tenancies at low rents. The government had recognised this fact and had come up with 10year plan with 5 steps, with £39bn under its Social and Affordable homes programme (SAHP). In Somerset along with partners, we had delivered 2661homes (644 in Sedgemoor, 587 in Mendip, 708 in South Somerset and 722 in SW&T) with 900 affordable between 2022-23 financial year and 2000 homes between 2020 and 2023.     Somerset Council therefore requested that the Leader of the Council and the Chair of Council write to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to support delivery of its 1.5 million new homes by 2030 pledge, by providing Somerset Council with sufficient sustained and flexible funding to enable the building in Somerset of at least 1000 new affordable homes per year. Member support was vital to demonstrate and recognise the scale of the challenge and the shared commitment across Somerset to tackling the housing crisis:   The Government therefore needed to: Provide sustainable funding to deliver 1000 affordable homes annually, address the funding gap for local infrastructure bottlenecks, such as new railway stations at Wellington and Somerton, a bypass on the A358 at Henlade outside Taunton town, and many others. Set realistic planning application fees at a level which enabled local authorities to employ sufficient qualified staff to speed up planning decisions, uphold environmental standards and protect local character. Give local elected councillors who know their areas best the power and ability to make amendments/suggestions to planning applications so as to improve proposed developments to meet local needs. Prioritise brownfield development including funding to assist with remediation where this was a costly block to progress, ·       To help support and revitalise our high streets, we encouraged the conversion of unused rooms above shops into much needed apartments. These conversions could only take place where a valid planning application had been submitted, the correct fee had been paid and all legal requirements were met. The proposed homes must be safe, accessible, and fully compliant with building regulations to ensure a high standard of living for future residents. Invest in social and affordable housing, including rent-to-buy, shared ownership, social and affordable rent and community-led schemes, by: ·       Facilitating funding opportunities for developers and encouraging private/public partnership with housing companies and housing associations, investors and regulators with central government backings. ·       Providing councils and housing associations with more available funding including affordable borrowing options. Support mixed-income, tenure-diverse communities by: ·       Incentivising private developers to unlock land banks, ·       Enabling fast-track planning permission for inclusive, tenure-diverse well-designed schemes, ·       Embedding Self-Build in housing policy centrally and in local plans. Ensure that essential infrastructure for larger developments was planned, funded, and delivered in advance of or contemporaneously with new housing, including: ·       Healthcare capacity, ·       School places needed more capital funding, ·       Sustainable utilities and energy systems, ·       Integrated public transport and active travel routes. Ensure provision of the necessary financial tools (grants or low-interest loans) and statutory powers to: ·       Deliver and fund green infrastructure (e.g. Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), phosphate mitigation, and Sustainable Urban Drainage Schemes [SUDS]), ·       Provide necessary utilities, roads, and public services where possible on council owned or partnered land, and deal with asbestos and other chemically hazardous materials, ·       Support the delivery of much needed Social and Affordable homes, capitalising on the new government’s initiative with low interest loans and grants provided by government, ·       Assign a specialist Affordable and Social Housing officer to be a single point of contact with government’s Social and Affordable homes Programme (SAHP) and Homes England at the planning stages, ·       Enable councils to charge developers for both BNG and Nutrient Neutrality, working with Natural England, water companies and the private sector to set up parcels of land registered under the existing government-approved scheme and protected by covenants.   Therefore, we need: Development of genuinely affordable, zero-emission or low carbon, energy efficient homes resilient to climate impacts and cost-effective to heat, Funding to reach a delivery rate of 150,000 new social rent homes per year in UK of which at least 1000 will be in Somerset, New developments which delivered the required 10% BNG, with at least 30 years of monitoring, across mixed habitats, Alignment of such new housing with the timely delivery of essential infrastructure, including GPs premises and staff schools, public transport, and premises for local independent businesses, To ensure that planning decisions in Somerset were made in light of what was best for Somerset’s people as a whole, thus ensuring that planning decisions about potential new developments aligned with Somerset's prosperity and sustainability, not those of a local area. Develop a fast-track planning process for affordable and social Housing, whilst ensuring early resolution of biodiversity net gains (BNG), nutrient neutrality (phosphate/nitrogen) and funding issues.   Motion 2 – Planning Service   Councillor Theo Butt Philip proposed the recommendation which was seconded by Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, that the Motion be referred to the next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee for Climate and Place.   Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Council Resolved to refer the Motion to the next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee for Climate and Place and that a report be brought back to Full Council at its meeting in December 2025.