South East Housing and Development Group (SE HDG)
Terms of Reference
(DRAFT April 2024 – proposed review date September 2024)
Aims and Objectives:
- Bring together all parties (including DLUHC, Homes England, councils, developers, housing associations, garden communities, health) involved to drive development forward
Working collaboratively to promote the benefits of housing and commercial development, to make sure everyone has a job they love and the home they deserve. - Support good growth ambitions and the delivery of the Levelling Up mission SE HDG to provide support and advocacy to areas with ambitious growth plans including the delivery of the Levelling Up mission and our Garden Communities.
- Encourage and support councils to deliver their local plans and housing strategies
Work collaboratively with the Kent Chief Planning Officers Group, Essex Planning Officers Group and East Sussex Planning Officer, Kent Housing Group, Essex Housing Officers Group and the East Sussex Housing Partnership Board to support the contribution that they have in promoting accelerated housing delivery. - Identify and remove to barriers to housing delivery
Working collaboratively with Kent Housing and Development Group (KHDG), Developers East Sussex (DES), Essex Developers Group (EDG) and other interested parties to identify and remove obstacles to housing and commercial development, assembling evidence and finding solutions. - Promote best practice
Supporting events and meetings to share best practice and information to support all to the standard of the best, this has helped in widening opportunity for joint working with business through engagement and attendance at the Developer groups and public sector partnerships across the SE area. (Kent, Essex, East Sussex and more widely when beneficial.) - Look across locality boundaries
Looking at the plans and proposals of neighbouring areas and their impact in preparing for accelerated growth. - Promote the accelerated delivery of Homes
SE HDG to work in partnership with Homes England and other public and private partners to raise awareness of the opportunities to accelerate housing delivery. - Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) To identify opportunities and barriers to maximise regional housing growth in response to the Lower Thames Crossing. Identify changes in wider government policy, and key decisions required, to minimise these barriers to accelerating housing delivery and feed these back up through the LTC Benefits Steering Group to the Wider Benefits Steering Group.
Operation:
The group will meet virtually 6x per year on Teams.
Members of the group will:
- Attend each meeting, or if unable to attend, endeavour to send a representative.
- Inform the organisation they represent of progress made by SE HDG and consult them on key issues and recommendations.
- Treat any information received and discussed with sensitivity and where appropriate in confidence.
- Tasks from each meeting will be agreed by the SE HDG and will be reviewed at each meeting.
- Members agreeing to undertake tasks will liaise with the group where necessary and feedback progress.
Membership:
- SE HDG to be Business led with membership drawn from representative public and private sector organisations and partnerships in Kent, Essex and East Sussex.
- The Chair and Co-Vice Chairs will be drawn from Essex Developers Group (EDG), Developers East Sussex (DES) and Kent Housing and Development Group (KHDG).
- The agenda will be circulated in advance of the meeting to ensure appropriate representation.
Support:
- The Strategic Housing Advisor will convene, advocate on behalf and represent the group locally and nationally to deliver the aims and objectives of the group and its strategic partners.
- Horton Strategic will provide the secretariat for the group and offer support in terms of administrative duties, advice or endorsement of projects undertaken by the SE HDG.
Membership:
Chair: Nick Fenton – KHDG
Co-Vice Chair: Mark Curle – EDG
Co-Vice Chair: Jonathan Buckwell – DES
KHDG – Kent Housing and Development Group
EDG – Essex Developers’ Group
KHG – Kent Housing Group
EHOG – Essex Housing Officers Group
ESHPB – East Sussex Housing Partnership Board
SEHG – South Essex Housing Group
EPOA – Essex Planning Officers Association
KCPOG – Kent Chief Planners Officers Group
ESPOG – East Sussex Planning Officers’ Group
NHF – National Housing Federation (Registered Provider (RP) representation)
DLUHC – Department Levelling Up Housing and Communities
Homes England
LTC – Lower Thames Crossing
TEGB – Thames Estuary Growth Board
SE Garden Communities in the DLUHC Programme
Kent, Essex and East Sussex Functional Economic Area UTLA leads.
(Open Invitation to lead roles in County Level local economic planning functions and previous SELEP Board Champion/s)
Secretariat:
Brian Horton – SE HDG – Strategic Housing Advisor
(Horton Strategic Limited)