Local and affordable housing is a phrase that, when heard, can cause the raising of eyebrows. There is a general feeling that it is somewhat out of reach for most. If you are local person with a plot available you may think is this something you 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. This is along with due consideration of the council’s affordable housing allocation for the area in question. Bear in mind this quota may already have been met in which case, applications for additional housing are unlikely to be supported.
Proposed affordable housing development
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 thousands of pounds each, meaning you could therefore expect to be paying probable figures in the tens of thousands to reach a RIBA Work Stage 3 submission of the planning application – depending on the size of the site and the numbers of dwellings involved.
Planning approval
Planning approval is one potential outcome, but regardless of your investment in reports, a refusal is equally possible and could be more likely – at first. 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.
Written by Tash Baskerville
Tash is a keen community leader working on several place shaping projects with local groups and councils. She has a penchant for public realm improvements, gardening and technical death metal, sometimes all at once.
