London council adopts new 44,000-home local plan to 2036
Barnet Council has adopted a new local plan for 2021 to 2036 that aims to deliver almost 44,000 homes.
The new plan will replace the previous version from 2012 and marks a “significant milestone” in the council’s development strategy.
The housing tenures will be split according to the London Plan policy. This means that 60% of homes on all major developments should be for low-cost rent, including affordable rent, allocated according to need and for households on low incomes.
The remaining 40% should be intermediate products that “meet the definition of genuinely affordable housing, including London Living Rent, and London Shared Ownership”.
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One of the plan’s priorities is protecting the stock of family houses, with all new developments expected to include a proportion of family-sized homes.
According to the new plan, “the loss of larger homes through demolition and redevelopment is of particular concern”. Barnet Council said that 43% of its affordable housing need was for two-bedroom homes, while 27% was for three-bedroom homes.
It also set out its criteria for new houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), stating that they will need to show they meet an identified need and “do not create a harmful concentration” of HMOs – which is defined as three or more of the 10 nearest properties being HMOs.
The plan will target “the most sustainable locations” for housing development, Barnet Council said, including “‘growth areas’, town centres, transport nodes, estate renewal and major thoroughfares”.
It is also aiming to create new office space across Barnet’s town centres, a new metropolitan town centre at Brent Cross and a new regional park.
Ross Houston, Barnet Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for homes and regeneration, said: “Caring for people, our places, and the planet is at the heart of everything we do as a council.
“Our local plan ensures we retain the borough’s qualities while addressing climate change and future housing and infrastructure needs. It reflects our commitment to building a brighter, more sustainable future for everyone in Barnet.”
Barnet Council said the plan had been developed through “extensive engagement with residents and community groups since 2016 and includes 51 policies and 58 site proposals for development”.
Last month, housing minister Matthew Pennycook set a two-and-a-half-year target for local plan-making and allocated funding to councils to review their green belt land.
He also confirmed his “clear expectation” for local planning authorities to speed up plan-making.
Yesterday, the government revealed what will be included in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, including compulsory purchase reform, streamlined planning decisions through a new national scheme of delegation and the strengthening of development corporations.
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