BRAINTREE Council has delivered nearly 3,000 new homes in recent years, it has been revealed.
The figures, revealed by Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove at the end of last year, showed the council performed 152 per cent against its target of homes required.
Braintree Council delivered 2,811 new homes between 2019/20 and 2021/22 to meet the needs of the area.
A total of 897 of those homes will be affordable, meaning they will be available to either rent or buy at more affordable levels to help people who cannot afford to purchase or rent homes on the open market.
The council says a target of an additional 250 affordable homes is expected to be completed by March.
Following the release of the figures, the council has revealed it has passed the Government’s housing delivery test as a result.
The housing delivery test is an annual measurement to assess the extent to which each local authority is building enough homes to meet their housing need, as determined by central government.
If failed, under government rules, this means a presumption in favour of sustainable development applies and planning permission should usually be granted.
Braintree Council planning boss Gabrielle Spray said: “We know we must plan for some new housing in the district to meet our growing communities’ needs and we have done all we can to give permission for new homes in sustainable locations as more people and families move to our district and to meet government targets.
“We’re also continuing to work hard to secure money through the planning process to ensure alongside new developments, partners bring forward essential local services and are supported with investment in roads and infrastructure.”
She continued: “We were also pleased with some elements of the government’s announcement about changes to the national planning system, including the five-year housing land supply which will be scrapped for those with an up-to-date Local Plan like Braintree following our years of lobbying.
“Ultimately we are hopeful these changes will give us the best possible opportunity to fight against speculative and poorly designed housing developments and give our communities more certainty that the right homes will be built in the right places across the Braintree district with high quality infrastructure.”
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