A COUNCIL has failed to meet its minimum ‘new homes’ requirement despite approving plans for thousands of new houses in recent years.

A new report reveals Stockton Borough Council is still 97 dwellings short of meeting its Government-required target on new homes, based on population and housing need projections.

The failure means it is harder for the authority to turn down housing applications from housing developers who often want to build on greenfield sites.

There has been serious opposition to some housing projects approved by the council’s planning authority in recent years including two 350-home developments in the Yarm area and a 850-dwelling development at the former MOD-site at Allens West, near Eaglescliffe. A plan to build 350 homes in Ingleby Barwick was rejected by the council but that decision was overturned by a Government inspector.

The council report into the issue has been prepared for discussion at the planning committee on Wednesday, November 12 at Stockton library.

It explains that to meet expected housing requirements, 3,029 dwellings need to be build by the end of June, 2019, but the council expects to fall short by just 97.

The council had the choice of taking a five per cent or 20 per cent ‘buffer’ or safety net. However, because it fell short in the last period it has taken on the 20 per cent figure, which means it is aiming for 3,635 homes to be built by June 2019.

The Save Stockton South group has often queried the growth figures the council is basing its housing need projections on.