Babergh has published its draft five-year housing land supply statements – outlining the anticipated supply of new homes between now and 2026, on the Shotley peninsula and other parts of the district.

The National Planning Policy Framework requires councils to identify and update a supply of specific deliverable sites which are capable of providing a minimum of five years' worth of housing against their housing requirement. This is known as the housing land supply.

This process must be done annually, reflecting relevant policy and guidance and taking into account lead-in times and build rates, as well as other factors. An appropriate buffer is also included in calculations to ensure choice and competition in the market for land.

Cllr Clive Arthey, Babergh's cabinet member for planning, said: "This is excellent news for our communities and demonstrates that we are on track with housing supply in the district, allowing all Babergh residents to live in affordable and high-quality homes that enable them to build settled, safe and healthy lives."

The draft Housing Land Supply Position Statements which have been published today for stakeholder comment, indicate that the district can meet the statutory housing requirement, with Babergh demonstrating a housing land supply of 6.86 years.

Further information on this is available on the council's website www.babergh.gov.uk/jointlocalplan with comments invited on the robustness of the housing land supply information and evidence related to the delivery of sites by midday on Friday 17 December 2021.

Once published, the final housing land supply statements for the 2021-2026 period will be given material consideration in the assessment and determination of planning applications in the districts, superseding last year's reports which evidenced that Babergh could meet its housing land need by 6.75 years.