‘This Council notes that:  

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The National Planning Policy Framework, at paragraph 53, contains a specific reference to ‘garden grabbing’ where it states that ‘‘Local planning authorities should consider the case for setting out policies to resist inappropriate development of residential gardens, for example where development would cause harm to the local area”.

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Another reference to development in residential gardens can be seen in paragraph 48 of the National Planning Policy Framework which states that ‘‘Local planning authorities may make allowance for windfall sites in the five-year supply if they have compelling evidence that such sites have consistently become available in the local area and will continue to provide a reliable source of supply. Any allowance should be realistic having regard to the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment, historic windfall delivery rates and expected future trends, and should not include residential gardens’’ [emphasis added].

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Whilst the National Planning Policy Framework, paragraph 17, states that planning should ‘‘encourage the effective use of land by reusing land that has been previously developed (brownfield land), provided that it is not of high environmental value’’, the definition of previously developed land ‘‘excludes… land in built up areas such as private residential gardens’’ (Annex 2).

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Strategic Objective 10 (Delivering Adequate Housing Supply) in the adopted Plymouth Core Strategy prioritises the use of brownfield land  for housing and Policy CS16 (Spatial Distribution of Housing Sites) sets out a target of at least 80% of the city’s planned housing provision is to be delivered on previously developed land.  The latest Authority Monitoring Report highlights that since 2006 90% of homes completed in the city have been on brownfield sites.

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Planning applications for housing in residential gardens are currently considered on their own merits as there is no specific local planning policy in relation to garden grabbing.

This Council resolves to request the Portfolio Holder for the Environment to consider an appropriate policy response to the issue of garden grabbing and to consider the provisions of the National Planning Policy Framework paragraph 53 in the preparation of the Plymouth Plan.’

(a)

that in November 2013, the City Council had supported the ‘Yes to Homes’ campaign;

(b)

planning applications for housing development would be considered on their merits and in accordance with the adopted Core Strategy;

(c)

the benefit of gardens to the occupant, children and the environment.