Report
Five year housing land supply report
April 1 2024
- This report includes the final completion figures for the year ending 31 March 2024 together with details of all the sites feeding into the supply at 1 April 2024. The results of the Housing Delivery Test were published in December 2023. For the 3-year period 2019/20-2021/22, Wyre Forest delivered 762 dwellings against a requirement of 610, giving a score of 125%. Wyre Forest District Council continues to apply a 5% buffer to the housing requirement. Any shortfall /surplus in housing completions since the start of the Plan Period in April 2016 has also been taken into account when doing the calculations. The calculation shows a housing land supply of 9.73 years at 1 April 2024. This is slightly lower than that shown a year earlier.
- The Wyre Forest Local Plan was adopted in April 2022 with a housing requirement of 276 dwellings per annum (dpa). The application of a 4% lapse rate is based on a detailed analysis of data since 2002 which looked at both large and small sites. This showed there to be a minimal level of unimplemented planning approvals in the District. Evidence of small windfall completions and prior approval completions also justified the use of a windfall allowance of 72 dpa (from year 4).
- Details of dwellings currently in the housing supply which have come via the prior notification route are shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Residential Approvals via Prior Notification in Supply at 1 April 2024 Application number
Address
Parish
Decision Date
Description
Number of dwellings
Progress at 1/4/2024
17/3001/PN
Tower Farm Cottage
Bewdley
10/03/17
Conversion of farm building
1
Under construction
17/3051/PN
Towers Buildings
Kidderminster
16/10/17
Conversion to flats
22
Work stalled
18/3064/PN
Towers Buildings
Kidderminster
27/11/18
Conversion to flats
7
Work stalled
20/0507/PN
Barn at Wells Meadow
Stourport
06/08/20
Conversion to dwelling
1
Under construction
20/0813/PN
High Trees Farm
Upper Arley
02/12/22
Barn conversion
1
20/0827/PN
Horseley Hills Farm
Wolverley & Cookley
11/01/21
Conversion of farm building
1
Under construction
20/1014/PN
Upper Moor smallholding
Stourport
22/10/21
Conversion of farm building
1
21/1030/PN
Gorst Hill Farm
Rock
10/01/22
Conversion of farm building
1
21/1137/PN
1 Franchise Street
Kidderminster
18/02/22
Conversion to flats
2
Former offices
22/0334/PN
Shenstone House Farm
Stone
03/10/22
Barn conversions
5
22/0345/PN
DCS House Callows Lane
Kidderminster
25/01/23
Office conversion
14
Building up for sale
22/0417/PN
Edge of Heightington
Rock
15/07/22
Barn conversion
1
22/0479/PN
The Malt House Farm
Stone
04/08/22
Barn conversions
3
22/0546/PN
Castle Hill Farm
Wolverley & Cookley
11/11/22
Barn conversion
1
22/0988/PN
The Shortyard
Wolverley & Cookley
13/02/23
Agricultural storage building
1
23/0120/PN
Old Bliss Farm
Rock
30/03/23
Conversion of farm building
1
1 barn completed during 23/24
23/0176/PN
Field House Farm Tenbury Road
Rock
05/05/23
Barn conversion
1
23/0255/PN
Sydwish Widen Top Road
Stourport
31/05/23
Conversion of farm building
1
23/0463/PN
19-22 High St
Kidderminster
11/08/23
Conversion to flats
11
Upper floors former retail
23/0466/PN
Drollis Farm Bournes Grn
Chaddesley Corbett
01/08/23
Barn Conversion
1
23/0783/PN
The Cottage, The Village
Chaddesley Corbett
15/02/24
Shop conversion
1
24/0007/PN
95A New Road
Kidderminster
5/03/24
Conversion to flats
2
Upper floors already converted
24/0008/PN
109-111 Coventry St
Kidderminster
1/03/24
Conversion to large flat
1
Shared flat - 4 en-suite bedrooms
- In 2023/24 there were 376 completions (369 net of demolitions/retained dwellings) giving a total net completion figure for the first 8 years of the plan period of 2233. Based on the Local Plan requirement of 276 dpa this means there has not been any shortfall since April 2016. As of 1 April 2024, there were 500 dwellings under construction (excluding replacement dwellings) with a further 324 dwellings still to start on active sites. Completions in 2023/24 were down on the massive number seen the previous year but still well above the requirement set in the Local Plan.
- There were 8 sites with over 40 plots under construction at 1 April 2024. In Kidderminster, the redevelopment of the former carpet factories at Churchfields (St.Mary’s Place) continued with 230 plots completed and the final 10 under construction. This site has 40% of dwellings open market with the other 60% being affordable, split between social rent, affordable rent and shared ownership. A further 35 completed plots have switched from open market to shared ownership in recent months. At Husum Way, a 100% affordable scheme is under construction and due to complete in 2024/25. At the former Lea Castle Hospital site to the NE of Kidderminster, 344 dwellings are now complete out of the 600 approved. There are two developers on site - Linden Homes and Bovis.
- In Stourport-on-Severn, 3 brownfield sites continued their redevelopment during 2023/24. Taylor Wimpey are building 94 dwellings on the former Parsons Chain site and 110 dwellings on the former school site off Coniston Crescent. Parsons Chain is well advanced with only 15 plots outstanding. Barratt Homes are also making good progress on the town centre site of the former Carpets of Worth buildings adjacent to the Tesco Superstore where only 15 of the 129 plots are still to start.
- During 2023/24, two of the former Green Belt allocations on the edge of Bewdley went under construction. Owl Homes began construction of 41 dwellings and Persimmon started the first of 79 dwellings. The first occupations will be in 2024/25.
- Table 2 shows a summary of completions and commitments at 1 April 2024. Please note that these figures do not include sites approved subject to S106 agreement. Table 3 sets out the calculations for the five year supply from 2024-2029.
Table 2 Completions and Commitments at 1st April 2024 (net) Description Number of dwellings
Total net completions 1st April 2016-31st March 2024
2233
Units on completed sites (Appendix A)
1549
Units on sites under construction (Appendix B)
684
Total net under construction at 1st April 2024
491
Units on sites under construction (Appendix B)
491
Total net outstanding at 1st April 2024
1161
Units on sites under construction (Appendix B)
324
Units on outstanding sites (Appendix C) excluding replacement dwellings/retained dwellings
837
Total commitments at 1st April 2024 (under construction & outstanding)
1652
- The following appendices set out the details of all the sites which feed into this supply. Appendix A lists all those sites which have been completed between 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2024 by parish. Appendix B lists all those sites which were under construction at 31 March 2024, including those partially completed. Appendix C lists all those sites at 31 March 2024 which have an extant unimplemented approval including those with prior approval for residential conversion and permission in principle approval. Appendix D lists the sites which had approval subject to the signing of a Section 106 agreement. Appendix E lists other sites which have yet to gain planning approval but are expected to feed into the 5- year supply.
- Appendix F lists the Local Plan allocated sites together with windfall sites by parish with their projected completions by year of Plan period. The blue shaded columns for 2024/25 to 2028/29 show the dwellings expected to feed into the 5-year housing land supply.