A LACK of housing supply could mean that Monmouthshire council will continue to give consideration to accepting residential developments not within its Local Development Plan (LDP).

The county council will today decide whether it continues to give ‘considerable weight’ to its lack of a five-year housing land supply when considering planning applications for residential development on unallocated sites.

A council report says this was the council's policy until July when the cabinet secretary Lesley Griffiths suspended it for a review of housing supply to take place.

It is now for Monmouthshire County Council to decide if it wants to re-instate the policy.

Projections currently show the council will be 961 homes behind its LDP delivery target at the end of 2021, including 337 which are affordable homes. The biggest shortfall is in the Chepstow and Severnside areas.

If the policy is approved at full council today it would not mean that development "anywhere, or of any quality" is given planning permission.

But it would allow "otherwise acceptable housing developments" to be approved even if the site is not allocated for development in the LDP - which allocates land for types of development.

The development must still be acceptable in planning terms. Up until now, three such planning applications have been determined.

Outline planning permission was granted for developments on sites in Grove Farm, Llanfoist and Rockfield Road, Monmouth but permission was refused for an application in Mounton Road, Chepstow.

Officers have recommended "considerable weight" is given to the lack of housing supply.