Policy IM3 has been amended to include a reference at clause ii to ensure housing delivery is phased to ensure a balance with the supply of jobs.

This policy has no justification and is not founded on an evidence base. It makes no provision for the varying economic profiles of the different settlements in the district and does not take account of the need to maintain a supply of specific deliverable sites annually on a rolling five year basis - regardless of job creation - as required by the National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework).

The Council's housing requirement has been assessed as the amount of housing that can sustainably be accommodated in the district having regard to economic growth, demographic projections and household formation, in accordance with paragraph 47 of the Framework. The appropriateness of the Council's housing target for the district has already been assessed in the light of economic factors including job creation.

To seek to frustrate residential development coming forward in accordance with the requirements of the development plan as required by paragraph 47 of the Framework is contrary to the overarching theme of national planning policy 'to boost significantly the supply of housing'. Further, this policy has the potential to put the Council at risk of failing to identify or deliver deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years worth of housing against their housing requirements (with an additional 5% moved from later in the plan period). This policy could result in unplanned development occurring across the district, approved in the absence of a five year land supply, which may have a greater propensity to undermine the Council's planned economic strategy.

The proposed modification is not therefore consistent with national planning policy as it has the capacity (on a seemingly arbitrary basis) to constrain the delivery of sustainable housing development identified in the Core strategy and required by the policies of the Framework.