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4.0 REASONS FOR CHOOSING SPP3 AS ADOPTED, IN THE LIGHT OF OTHER REASONABLE ALTERNATIVES
4.1 A number of changes have been made to the SPP in the light of the responses to consultation on both the SPP and the Environmental Report.
4.2 The planning policy for housing is fairly complex involving a number of processes that require input from a variety of contributors at different stages. One of the key aims of the revision of this SPP was to present this policy in a straightforward and accessible way, and additional text has been included in the final version to clarify the structure of the document. The consultation responses largely endorsed the principles of the policy and the process based approach to articulation of the policy was widely accepted. Therefore these aspects of the SPP have not significantly altered.
4.3 A key aspect of SPP3 is the clear emphasis on the need for joint working among a variety of organisations to deliver an appropriate supply of housing in the right locations. This approach should also assist in delivering a supply of housing which fully considers the effects which might arise and how these can be mitigated.
4.4 Particular areas of change between the draft and finalised versions of the SPP include the following:
- The objectives of the policy were revisited and now include specific reference to well-designed development, sustainable locations and high quality places which can all help meet environmental objectives. This reflects a conscious decision to emphasise these environmental issues within the text of the policy document rather than managing those issues by cross-referencing to other policy documents. The SEA helped to inform this part of the redrafting process.
- The policy now addresses significant environmental issues as far as reasonable and practical, this is supported by this post adoption statement and in particular the more detailed mitigation measures which are detailed in the previous section. These measures have largely now been built into the text of the finalised SPP, and are also intended to inform the more detailed SEAs of strategic and local development plans.
- The consultation process highlighted that while there is support for revised planning guidance on HMOs, SPP3 is not the preferred vehicle for this. It is now intended to issue separate guidance on HMOs, and the responses received to the consultative draft of SPP3 addressed the key points of this issue, and will continue to underpin the review.
4.5 Other options, including more fundamental review of the content of the draft SPP and alternatives to its main policy components, such as the 35000 goal, were not considered to be reasonable or appropriate in light of both the consultation responses to the SPP and the Firm Foundations Discussion Paper.
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