Blog: Affordable Housing

Local and affordable housing is a phrase that, when heard, can cause the raising of eyebrows with a general feeling that it is somewhat out of reach for most. If you are local person and have a plot available you may think then, what can I do and is this something I can help to provide?

You should be aware from the very beginning though that property development can become lengthy, intensive and costly. There is a lot of work and negotiation required – it’s far from easy.

In the first instance of course, Planning Policy within the Council’s Local Plan has to be met, along with due consideration of the Council’s affordable housing allocation for the area in question – this quota may already have been met in which case, applications for additional housing are unlikely to be supported.

If you decide to progress with a proposed development and submit a planning application to include affordable housing, it is worth seriously bearing in mind that this process will be very involved and will require a different and much higher level of motivation and commitment from yourself. You will need to supply a whole range of additional information to support the planning application. To give you an idea, a project for new affordable homes could require reports such as:

●  Affordable Housing Statement to demonstrate justification and viability

●  Agricultural Land Survey

●  Ecology Report

●  Design, Accessibility and Planning Appraisal Report

●  Contamination Report

●  Drainage Report

●  Transport Statement

●  Section 106 Agreement

These come at a cost, which could be in the region of £1k – £1,500 each, in addition to our fees, and you could therefore expect paying probable figures in the tens of thousands to reach a Stage 3 submission of the planning application. Planning approval is one potential outcome, but regardless of your investment in reports, a refusal is equally possible and could be more likely. You should also bear in mind that applications like this can take several years to gain planning approval if back and forth negotiations with the planners are required. There are no guarantees but for some sites it is possible to unlock great value, for yourself and potential house buyers. So, research, knowledge and having the right people around you are key – worth bearing us in mind to be your guide.