Housing 

When Local Housing Need Will Apply

Evidence of how an application meets local housing need will be required for any windfall sites in the District’s designated rural settlements.

How Local Needs are Established

WFDC will establish Local Housing Need in the following ways:

• Housing Needs Surveys
• WFDC Housing Register
• WFDC Self and Custom Build Register
• Current Housing Market data for the district – based on details of properties for sale at the time of determining a planning application

Bespoke Housing Need

In very exceptional circumstances, the bespoke housing need of an applicant will be considered when determining an application. An example would be where the applicant has a disability/illness that requires a property built to meet their requirements. The applicant would have to demonstrate:

• Why the applicant needs to remain in the current location and have not managed to fulfil their housing need by purchasing a property on the open market in the parish.
• Why their existing property cannot be modified to meet their need.
• That the design meets the applicant’s requirements, for example, that it is designed to comply with M4(3) of the Building Regulations 2010.

Housing in Bewdley

Policy SP.2 states that any housing in Bewdley will be to meet local needs and to ensure long term vitality and viability.

Therefore, any applications for housing will be considered against the following criteria:

• The most up-to-date housing needs information for the Town
• Whether there is evidence of a bespoke need being met
• Whether the development is being developed on previously developed land or reutilising an empty building
• How the development will contribute to the vitality and viability of the economy
• Against the DM.2 Residential Infill Development Policy

For any major applications (developments over 10 dwellings), an applicant will be expected to undertake an up-to-date housing needs analysis as part of their application. The method for this analysis will need to be agreed with the planning team prior to it being undertaken and submitted as part of the application.

Windfall Sites in Rural Areas

Policy SP.1 Spatial Development Strategy and SP.2 Locating New Development provide details of the settlement hierarchy in the district.

The focus of new development in the district over the plan period is on the urban areas and allocated sites, with limited allocations in the rural areas, to meet local need.

It is recognised that windfall development may come forward, outside of the allocated sites, during the plan period but these should follow the other policies within the plan. The flow chart below  demonstrates the decision process for planning officers when considering applications in rural areas.

See accessible text version of flowchart

Rural Exception Sites

Housing provision on rural exception sites must seek to address the needs of the community by accommodating households who are existing residents or who have an existing family or employment connection to the area in line with the local connections criteria. Proposals for development will need to demonstrate that arrangements are put in place to ensure that the housing will remain permanently available to meet the continuing needs of local people.

Development of exception sites must be identified in partnership with the District or Parish Council and must be supported by a Parish Housing Needs Survey which should normally be undertaken by the District Council in partnership with the Parish Council. However, where this is not possible, applicants may undertake their own survey but only where the methodology and questionnaire are agreed with the District Council in advance of the survey commencing. The Housing Needs Survey must consider the need for all types of residential development within the parish. Alternatively, data from the housing register can be used to demonstrate need for affordable housing.

In circumstances where it is not viable to deliver 100% affordable housing on rural exceptions sites, it may be possible to cross subsidise a scheme with an element of market housing (typically no more than 20%). Under these circumstances, developers will be required to provide additional supporting evidence in the form of an open book development appraisal for the proposed site. The provision of low cost home ownership products to meet identified local needs will also be an acceptable form of housing on rural exception sites in addition to other tenure types that meet local housing needs.

The development of rural exception sites should not result in a significant adverse impact on the character of the settlement, the amenities of residents, the rural landscape, or nature conservation interests, and should not result in the loss of open space with public amenity or recreational importance. Schemes must be located within, or adjoining, an existing settlement with at least one of the basic services. Rural exception sites will not normally be allowed in or adjoining settlements without one of the basic services. Where proposals are put forward in such settlements, very strong justification will be required as to why affordable housing is appropriate in this location. Proposals in the open countryside will not be acceptable.

Infill Development

Infill development is defined as residential development of up to 6 dwellings in an otherwise built-up frontage.

The council encourages infill development within the settlement boundary providing it contributes to the existing character in terms of design, density and layout.

Within villages, sites need to meet a local need, not be inappropriate development in the Green Belt and not be over developed (see policy SP.9 on density).

Live Work Units

WFDC receive a higher number of applications for live work units in rural areas in comparison to the urban areas of the district.

Live work units differ from homeworking in that home working uses a small proportion of a residential unit for generally office work whilst live work units are a business being run from the same place that the worker resides. The size of the work area should be justified to ensure that a larger than necessary business area is not constructed just to enable a larger dwelling to be built.

Policy DM. 11 says that the emphasis of the unit is on the work element, which should be reflected in the split, which is at least 60% workspace and 40% residential. The policy also states that the work elements is restricted to uses considered appropriate to the location, in rural areas. For example, Class B, Class E (offices other than professional and financial services offices) and research and development, light industrial uses and appropriate employment uses where there is no inappropriate impact on the surrounding properties.

To ensure that the unit is used as intended the permission will have a condition as part of the approval, which will be monitored to ensure ongoing compliance.

Agricultural Worker’s Housing

There can be a need for livestock management, agricultural/agricultural contractors or forestry workers to live on site. Rural workers dwellings will only be permitted where they are considered to be essential and the assessment of this will depend on the needs of the particular enterprise. Evidence that could be provided, include:

• A contract of employment for the rural worker which proves the requirement for tied accommodation near the place of work
• A business plan stating the need for a rural worker dwelling and how it will benefit the business
• A clear and justifiable explanation why there is a requirement for a rural worker dwelling.

Where permission is granted for an additional dwelling, then the applicant will be expected to agree to retain the existing accommodation for use within the unit.

Where an agricultural workers dwelling is no longer needed, convincing evidence should be provided with any application for the removal of an occupancy condition, as set out in Policy SP.11.

Therefore, the applicant must demonstrate how the property has been marketed for a period of 12 months, including:

• a copy of the marketing details including where it has been marketed, by whom and for how long
• ensuring it has been marketed appropriately in national agricultural publications
• a copy of the advert
• a record of enquiries and offers made (if applicable)

Previously Developed Land in the Green Belt

As per the NPPF definition previously developed land is defined as:

Land which is or was occupied by a permanent structure, including the curtilage of the developed land (although it should not be assumed that the whole of the curtilage should be developed) and any associated fixed surface infrastructure. This excludes: land that is or was last occupied by agricultural or forestry buildings; land that has been developed for minerals extraction or waste disposal by landfill, where provision for restoration has been made through development management procedures; land in built-up areas such as residential gardens, parks, recreation grounds and allotments; and land that was previously developed but where the remains of the permanent structure or fixed surface structure have blended into the landscape.

Therefore, where Previously Developed Land  blends into the landscape again, it will be treated as per the WFDC local plan policies on Green Belt and rural housing.

grounds and allotments; and land that was previously developed but where the remains of the permanent structure or fixed surface structure have blended into the landscape.

Therefore, where Previously Developed Land blends into the landscape again, it will be treated as per the WFDC local plan policies on Green Belt and rural housing.

Conversion of a Rural Building into a dwelling

Any rural barn converted under Class Q of the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) with the need for additional extensions, substantial alterations (or complete reconstruction) or the addition of new buildings within the curtilage will not be allowed under policy DM.29 of the Local Plan.

The degree of harm on the character and appearance of the countryside is an important consideration when assessing the effects of residential curtilage or establishing the likely demand for further buildings on the site.

The Council is unlikely to give permission for proposals for residential conversion where this requires extensive alteration or rebuilding (substantial or extensive being works to the building that go beyond what is necessary to facilitate a residential conversion under the requirements of Class Q), or if the creation of a residential curtilage would have a harmful effect on the character of the countryside. To this end, no extensions to dwellings created (whether through Policy DM.29 and earlier rural building policies or via implementation of permitted development rights) will be permitted, and neither will the introduction of new buildings into the curtilage of these dwellings.

Where there has been previous successful development under the current or previous policies, or by virtue of permitted development, no further development will be permitted within the curtilage and not beyond this point.