To debate a Motion submitted by the Administration in accordance with Rules 11 and 13 of the Council’s Constitution. The debate will last for a maximum of 30 minutes.

LOCAL PLAN

Council considered a motion as printed in the agenda on the Local Plan that had been moved by Councillor Kabir Ahmed and seconded by Councillor Abu Talha Chowdhury.

Meeting Adjournment

During the debate on the Administration Motion the Speaker of the Council moved to adjourn the meeting for half an hour under Procedure Rule 14.2 (4) to allow for a discussion on how to best proceed with the business following challenges from Members. At the conclusion of the adjournment the Speaker agreed under Procedure Rule 14.1 (d) that the debate move straight to the right to reply and vote.

Following debate, the motion moved by Councillor Kabir Ahmed was put to the vote and was agreed.

RESOLVED

This Council notes:

·       That overcrowding in the borough had been left unchecked from the years 2015 to 2022, with over 14,000 residents now classified as living in acutely overcrowded conditions.

·       That the development of new, affordable homes for rent has not kept pace with the rapid population growth and concomitant rise in said overcrowding, with some years during the period 2015-2022 seeing as little as 140 homes completed in a single year.

·       That the development of affordable housing has always played a central role of critical importance to Mayor Lutfur Rahman and his team, who delivered thousands of affordable, social homes for rent during his previous administrations.

·       That this commitment has continued into this current administration’s first term, with at least 4,000 affordable homes for rent pledged to be delivered, and over 1,000 already built or in the pipeline.

·       That the Council’s current Local Plan is due for a refresh, with the first version of this refreshed Plan – regulation 18 – passing through Cabinet on 25^th October 2023.

This Council believes:

·       That the delivery of affordable rented homes has slowed over the past seven years.

·       That restrictive policies have prevented a greater number of affordable homes from being built, due to a limitation on height, density and the percentage of affordable units that must be delivered per development, alongside the tenure mix between affordable rented homes and intermediate properties.

·       That the previous local plan was not ambitious enough to meet the growing demand for affordable and sustainable housing in Tower Hamlets.

·       That the current proposed refresh will revolutionise and expedite the way that affordable housing is delivered in the years to come, tackling the overcrowding crisis at a much greater pace and providing decent, affordable homes to the residents of Tower Hamlets.

·       That this is demonstrated in the proposed commitment to raising the affordable housing criteria expected of developers from the existing 35% threshold to a more ambitious 40%; a redressing of the 70:30 affordable/ intermediate split of this 40% to a revised 85:15 ratio – guaranteeing more genuinely affordable homes for residents; and through the prioritisation of the development of 3 and 4 bedroom properties to accommodate the growing family-sized population of the borough.

·       That this refreshed Local Plan will see height and density prioritised to help maximise the delivery of affordable housing, with the whole borough becoming a Tall Building Zone (TBZ) where this does not impact on cultural or heritage conservation areas. This will include a pushing of the maximum building height threshold to 23 storeys.

·       That this refreshed Local Plan will be a catalyst for further social and economic development for all residents, as well as protecting and enhancing the borough’s local environment and green spaces.

·       That this refreshed Local Plan will respect, enhance and incorporate heritage and conservation areas into all new developments.

·       That this refreshed Local Plan should be made accessible to all residents in the borough – regardless of language, race or background – to ensure that a fair and holistic engagement process is ensured, and all resident voices are heard.

This Council resolves:

·       To support and promote engagement with the Regulation 18 version of the refreshed local plan for all residents.

·       To work with the BME media to help promote this engagement.

·       To commend the Lead Member and Officers for their hard work in capturing the ambition of this administration regarding housebuilding within the document.

·       To request regular updates on the journey of the refreshed Local Plan through the relevant stages of its progression.