Derby City Council faces 'unprecedented' housing target

Derby City Council's housing requirement figure - the number it should allow developers to construct - has gone up from 881 to 1,189 a year

Derby City Council has been told to find space for nearly 1,200 new homes each year, a figure the authority has called "unprecedented".

In a report, the authority said it had been told by central government to increase the number of homes it grants planning permission for by 35%.

It said this meant the number of new homes being built in the city needed to rise from 881 to 1,189 per year.

The council said it would explore opportunities on brownfield sites.

Under its current Local Plan, the council needs to grant permission for 647 dwellings annually or 11,000 homes between 2011 and 2028, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reports.

In the report, the council said its Local Plan would be reviewed in January, adding a new Local Plan "needs to allocate sufficient housing sites to accommodate Derby's predicted growth over its time period, plus an additional 35% uplift handed down by the government for being a key city".

"Given the significant increase it is likely that we will not be able to demonstrate a five-year supply," the authority said.

Council bosses said work was under way to "establish the likely land capacity available within the city to accommodate the level of housing growth required" but said Derby was a "compact city with tight administrative boundaries".

The authority said it would "explore and maximise" development opportunities on brownfield land, especially in and around the city centre.