Developers East Sussex minutes: 14 January 2025


Meeting details

Date: 14 January 2025

Time: 2pm

Location: Microsoft Teams

See the list of attendees and apologies for this meeting.


1. Welcome and introductions

1.1  JB welcomed the attendees to the meeting. He advised that the running order of agenda items 4 and 5 would be rearranged (minutes are presented as per the original running order).


2. Review of previous minutes, 12 November 2024

2.1  There were no actions from the previous meeting. The minutes were approved as an accurate record of the meeting.


3. Market conditions / open forum

3.1  The group held its usual discussion on the current state of the market. Residential sales are slightly above average for the time of year (January is normally quite sluggish), possibly aided by an understanding in the market that stamp duty changes come into effect from 1 April 2025. The expectation is that the sales market will continue at its current level for a short while longer, but then drop off again in the weeks leading up to the stamp duty changes. The rate of sales is probably back to around 0.7 per week, but developers need more outlets, and while land deals are being done, they are sporadic. Affordability is still holding back numbers, particularly for first time buyers, and there is also ongoing nervousness about possible interest rate increases affecting the market. As always, confidence in the system is key.

3.2  The commercial market is still demonstrating a reasonable amount of demand/appetite, but the wider impact of the Autumn Budget is still unknown, such as the possible effect of pension pot changes, national insurance increases, inheritance changes etc.

3.3  Affordable housing is still characterised as “market failure”, with Registered Providers (RPs) remaining cautious. Appetite is finite and choosy, and the uncertainty coupled with a lack of confidence makes it difficult to move forward. Some “for profit” RPs are now stepping into the space and are slowly growing in the market. The £500m top-up for the existing Affordable Homes Programme announced in the recent Autumn Budget, along with plans for a new five-year rent settlement in social housing, are both acknowledged, but colleagues are still trying to make the case for a ten-year term.


4. National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)

4.1  JB delivered a presentation on the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on 12 December 2024. He provided an overview of some of the headline changes, which include:

  • a rollback of the 2023 ‘four-year supply’ changes;
  • strengthening of the language on sustainable development (paragraph 11);
  • retention of the Duty to Cooperate in plan-making;
  • revised housing targets to deliver 1.5 million homes nationally over five years (an increased target in all areas across the county except for Eastbourne which has a 4.5% decrease);
  • facilitating economic growth in development (paragraph 86) with greater weight to facilitating the digital economy; and
  • the introduction of ‘Grey Belt’ designation.

4.2  JB noted that a number of government working papers and consultations have recently been launched. A consultation on Modernising planning committees opened on 9 December 2024, which proposes a national scheme of delegation, dedicated committees for strategic development and mandatory training for Councillors. A separate consultation on Development and Nature Recovery opened on 15 December 2024, setting out how housing/infrastructure development can meet its environmental responsibilities.

4.3  GM noted that the revisions to NPPF paragraph 11 should result in developers coming to planning authorities with very clear, well-developed plans. NF noted that the proposed training for Councillors is something we’ve already been doing for quite some time in East Sussex, initiated through this DES forum, with Q&A sessions always very well received, so we’re in a good position to easily pick up that requirement.


5. Other national policy changes

5.1  JB delivered a brief presentation on Devolution, bringing the group up to date on the rapidly evolving situation since the government issued its Devolution White Paper on 16 December 2024, pressing for every area of England to have a combined authority with an elected mayor and inviting areas to move forward in a ‘Priority Programme’ to fast-track applications.

5.2  East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton and Hove Councils have agreed to jointly submit an expression of interest to the Priority Programme for a Sussex-wide Mayoral Authority. The EOI was submitted on 10 January 2025, and a Ministerial decision is expected during Spring 2025. If approved, this will mean the election of a mayor for Sussex in May 2026 (so will also impact the County Council elections scheduled for May 2025, which would most likely be cancelled).

Post-meeting update: The government announced on 5 February 2025 that it would approve the proposal for devolution in Sussex, and on 17 February opened a consultation on the devolution plan, to run until 13 April 2025. Parliament will make a decision on the proposed Mayoral Combined County Authority at the end of the year.

5.3  JB also provided an update on the separate process of Local Government Reorganisation, where the government is proposing that all two-tier authorities are replaced with unitary authorities. All of the councils in East Sussex have been asked by the government to submit their preferred options for forming a unitary government in East Sussex by 21 March 2025, to be followed by a more detailed proposal later this year in the autumn. Further timescales for this process are not fully developed as yet, but new unitary authorities could be formed from 2027.

5.4  JB briefly ran through some other national policy changes on the horizon. Planning fees are rising on 1 April 2025, including a doubling of conditions-discharge fees, householder fees for enlarging/altering houses, and some prior-approval fees, plus there is a new three-tier fee structure for section 73 applications (£86 for householder applications, £586 for minor development and £2,000 for major development). And coming soon, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill is expected to be published in March 2025.


6. East Sussex Housing Strategy

6.1  MC sent apologies but provided a short written update, shared by BH. The draft Housing Partnership Strategy has been shared with management teams in each of the district and borough authorities and received support for the priorities and key areas of work. The Housing Partnership will be refreshing the overall vision and mission statement for the strategy, and will then finalise the timetable to adopt the strategy.

6.2  Work is continuing with the SPACES programme to create a pipeline of public sector assets which may be suitable for accommodation development, using the findings from a research project completed at the end of last year.

6.3  The last Development and Enablement Group received a presentation from the Prisoners Building Homes scheme, which has recently received government funding and is keen to work with developers in East Sussex and local building contractors to bring forward opportunities. At the next Development and Enablement Group, the team will hear from planning colleagues to explore opportunities to support closer collaboration across the sectors.


7. Local Planning Authority (LPA) updates

7.1  Officers advised that there is little/no change to timelines for the development of Local Plans since the last update to DES. Rother DC and Wealden DC are still working through the representations received from their Draft (Regulation 18) Local Plan consultations and are still aiming to progress to Pre-Submission (Regulation 19) by the end of the year, but it will be very tight. Hastings BC is expecting to be under public consultation on the Pre-Submission (Regulation 19) Local Plan in early summer, and hope to submit it for Examination by the end of the calendar year, to then be at Examination in early 2026.

7.2  GQ advised that Rother DC’s Housing Development Strategy will be out to consultation in February 2025. There will also be some personnel changes at Rother DC, as GM and KE advised that they are leaving shortly. Mike Hughes will be the new Head of Planning.

Post-meeting update: the consultation is now live and runs from 7 February to 31 March 2025.


8. Any other business (AOB)

8.1  None.


Summary of actions

None.


Attendees and apologies

Attendees

  • AJ, Alex Jones, Stantec
  • BH, Brian Horton, South East Housing & Development Group
  • BW, Ben Weller, Vistry Homes
  • CBe, Chris Bending, Wealden DC
  • CBu, Craige Burden, Barratt David Wilson Homes
  • CG, Caroline Gower, Mayer Brown
  • DE, Dave Evans, East Sussex CC
  • DF, Duncan Flynn, Surrey Development Forum
  • DP, David Plank, Wealden DC
  • ERS, Elizabeth Ross-Smith, Greymoor
  • ES, Edward Sheath, East Sussex CC
  • GF, Gemma Forshaw, Wealden DC
  • GM, Gilian Macinnes, Rother DC
  • GQ, Graeme Quinnell, Rother DC
  • GT, Gavin Toogood, Mayer Brown
  • JB, Jonathan Buckwell, DHA Planning (DES CHAIR)
  • KB, Kim Bloxham, East Sussex CC
  • KE, Kemi Erifevieme, Rother DC
  • LD, Lee Davies, HNW Architects
  • NF, Nick Fenton, Nick Fenton Associates
  • NT, Neill Tickle, Counties and Capital Consulting
  • OK, Os Kamil, Baily Garner
  • PN, Phillip Naylor, RH Partnership Architects
  • RBh, Rick Bhatia, Southern Housing
  • RBr, Roland Brass, Marrons
  • RJ, Richard Jones, East Sussex CC
  • RM, Rob Moore, Homes England
  • RT, Ryan Trodden, MHCLG
  • SH, Susan Hanson, Hastings BC
  • SR, Stacey Robins, Wealden DC
  • TZ, Tom Ziessen, Environment Agency
  • YM, Yvonne Mills, Rentplus

Apologies

  • BB, Beverley Bayliss, East Sussex CC
  • CBr, Chris Broome, Sea Change Sussex
  • CH, Chris Hancock, Hastings BC
  • CM, Chris Moore, Bellway Homes
  • JM, Josh Mellor, Marrons
  • JO, Jane Owen, MHCLG
  • JP, Joe Powell, Rother DC
  • MC, Michael Courts, East Sussex CC
  • RW, Richard White, Southern Housing