Local Development Framework Consultation

Land Allocations Emerging Options Consultation Document *

and other background documents

Various

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Overall

Support in part

The premise on which the additional housing need is based is at least questionable.

The requirement for SLDC to produce a strategy stems from decisions made by the Blair government nearly ten years ago. The present government does not appear to endorse that policy.

Confusion
SLDC’s Core Strategy Document (which was adopted by the Council in 2010) and the Summary Document, use a variety of statistical sources on which to base its plans, but when one looks at the Regional Spacial Strategy (RSS) the Housing Needs Survey (HNS) and compares them with those of the Office of National Statistics (ONS) used by Cumbria County Council’s Cumbria’s Population: Recent Changes and Forecasts, there is a bewildering discrepancy between them. They cover various periods (2003-2021; 2003-2025; 2008-2033; 2010-2025; 2010-2026; by 2031; by 2033). They produce a variety of predictions of population growth, both in real terms, and in percentages, and in housing, and employment needs:
That Kendal will grow by 4,000;
That its population will rise by 14.3%
That Kendal will need to build 140 houses p.a. for 15 yrs (=2100)
That Kendal will need 2060 new houses
That Kendal will need 3080 new houses

That S. Lakeland’s population will rise by 7.4%
That S.Lakeland will need 8800 new dwellings
That S.Lakeland will need to build 400 houses p.a for 15 yrs (=6000)
That S.Lakeland will need to build 4128 houses
That 35% of these should be in Kendal (i.e 1445 houses)

To add to the confusion, the LDPA affirms that the National Park is largely inappropriate for this development, so most of it has to take place in the parts of S.Lakeland outside the National Park.

Demographics
Who will live in all these extra houses? It is a fact that the area has a lower proportion of young people (aged 15-29) than much of the rest of the country, but that is primarily because of a dearth of well-paid jobs, not because of a lack of affordable housing. There is not much point in getting a cheap house if you can’t get a job; if that were the case young, ambitious, qualified Kendalians would go to where housing is cheap (like Workington) rather than where there are jobs.

At the other end of the scale the demographics of South Lakeland clearly show that there is a higher than national average proportion of people over the age of 60. Over the next 20 years most of these people will die, ensuring a steady supply of available housing. It is very unlikely that this increase in death-rate will even be balanced by a corresponding rise in birth-rate, let alone lead to a large overall increase in total population.

So the predicted rise in population must come about through large numbers of 15-30 and 31-45 year olds moving into the area. Really?

Nature of development
Most of the proposed residential sites shown on the maps are “greenfield” sites predominantly peripheral to existing population centres, which if developed would only increase the sprawl of towns and villages. This type of development is likely to be 3/4 bedroom detached/semi-detached housing that is out of the reach of those seeking affordable housing such as first time buyers, as developers are profit fed. It is very sad to see that the most recently built flats in Kendal (at K-village) are on sale at £300,000. Why could not these have been affordable homes?

I read this week that our MP is “working with the council to bring an estimated 1000 empty houses across the district back into use.” An excellent scheme and as these are likely to be smaller properties suitable for first-time buyers, of much more use than releasing Greenfield sites for development.


Alternative
May I suggest what may be seen as a radical alternative solution? Following the example of Cambridgeshire and Dorset to mention but two and the National Government at various stages in the last century? Why not a completely new settlement/village/small new town, with houses shops, a primary school, employment, and social amenities? The ideal site would be Crooklands. The area already has some employment provision, the showfield is there, the Auction Mart will be there soon, there is a hotel, church, village hall, attractive canal, and what is probably its best selling point, its accessibility to the M6 (S & N) A65, and A590 to the E & W particularly important for commercial traffic, nor is it far from Oxenholme main line railway station.


Consultation Process
I have found the SLDC consultation process extremely user unfriendly:

The staff at SLDC offices were unable to produce the relevant documents when asked, as they had run out.
I have rarely come across such a complex web-site. It is a real minefield, and very user unfriendly.
I know of several people who have submitted their views by e-mail, or on paper but they are not listed as respondents. How many have not been recorded, and why? Will their views not be registered, thus giving a false impression of the results of the consultation?

Surely this issue is so important to everyone in the district that SLDC should have published a comprehensive explanatory document to be made available to everyone if only through a supplement for inclusion in the Westmorland Gazette.