Planning Guidance requires that authorities have robust evidence of housing need to support local plan policies and targets and site thresholds for affordable housing, for site negotiation and for rural housing needs.

David Couttie advised Government Ministers on affordable housing, planning and regeneration issues for over ten years, including the introduction of PPG3 in 1993, and had already negotiated affordable housing in two major new settlements in Peterborough and Cambridge in 1990, before Guidance was issued.

David Couttie has given expert witness evidence at large Public Inquiries and at Local Plan Inquiries and now Local Development Framework Examination in relation to affordable housing policy and practice. He has successfully supported local authorities at Appeal and in Inquiries for over 15 years where a survey had previously been conducted.

He has advised major landowners and developers in the creation of balanced communities in large new settlement projects at Cambourne in Cambridge, Hampton in Peterborough, Stretton Magna in Leicester and at Sand Hutton near York and North Bersted in Arun for the Church Commissioners and therefore has significant expertise in this area.

He was responsible for the successful negotiation of the housing element of the S106 Agreements at both South Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, which are now being developed and will jointly provide 10,000 dwellings. DCA have also advised local authorities on major development areas.

DCA have prepared Supplementary Planning Guidance for local authority clients on affordable housing, site targets and balanced housing market studies in the light of PPG3 and are currently preparing supplementary planning documents on affordable housing under the new framework.

David Couttie also addressed the Planning Inspectorate Conference at the launch of 6/98 on affordable housing and the planning system from the viewpoint of local authorities.