Council Responds to Government on Planning Policy
HUGH SULLIVAN
Hastings Borough Council has submitted its formal response to the government’s consultation on the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2025.
The full text of this response has not been disclosed. However, the council has issued a summary – see hastings.gov.uk/planning/nppf-response – which points out that the town is not only “a tightly constrained coastal borough” but faces particular challenges which include land instability, flood risk, infrastructure capacity, sensitivity around heritage assets and viability limitations.
The council has strongly welcomed reforms that help safeguard coastlines, strengthen flood risk policy, promote high-quality design, support watercourse restoration and improve the management of coastal change.
Policies that reinforce community infrastructure, affordable housing delivery and sustainable transport are also supported. But national policy should not, it was argued, place unrealistic expectations on areas where development opportunities are inherently limited.
The current draft policy delivered by the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government (MHCLG) includes a new national formula for calculating local housing needs which proposes for Hastings an increase in annual housing “targets” from 490 to 722 houses.
Last October, Cllr Mark Etherington, lead councillor for planning and climate adaptation, pointed out that, given the town’s geographic position by the sea and its protected landscapes to the west, north and east, it was already failing to meet the previous target. He described those new targets as “completely out of reach”.
Five months on, he says: “We have submitted a detailed and robust response to the consultation. We are keen to be involved in shaping national policy so that it reflects the realities on the ground. It is important that future planning decisions continue to protect our communities, our heritage and our natural environment, while enabling the right development in the right places.
“We have also called for clearer national guidance and proper resourcing so that local authorities can implement new technical requirements effectively.”
A final updated framework is now awaited from the MHCLG.
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