Agenda item

This report advises Members on the production of the Affordable Housing Study (AHVS) for York as required by national planning guidance in Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3) Housing.

Members considered a report which advised them of the production of the Affordable Housing Viability Study (AHVS) for York as required by national planning guidance in Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3) Housing.

It was confirmed that the study acknowledged the recent downturn in the national and local housing markets with the proposal for a short term target of 40% affordable housing on greenfield sites and 25% on brownfield sites without social grant on sites of 15 dwellings or more. Although it was acknowledged that changes in the housing market would require revisions of these targets over the plan period.

The Group received a presentation from Dr Richard Fordham of Fordham Research who was commissioned by the Council to produce the AHVS. This included an overview of the Study’s methodology, the results, current targets and threshold recommendations and the Dynamic Model.

Members questioned a number of points in respect of the presentation and report which included:

• Definition of the policy on affordable housing and details of the consultation undertaken with developers at a workshop earlier in the year;
• Evidence in relation to the cushions (landowner additional profit) which would be gained if there was an uplift in the market;
• Resubmission of applications/phasing of developments and the affect of these on affordable housing requirements;
• Tolerance of accuracy in respect of demolition costs on a number of sites;
• Concern that developers were still requesting rejection/deferral of a study which reduced affordable housing targets;
• Reference to the housing waiting list and the need for 1000 affordable units per year;
• That the proposed policies were evidence based and acknowledged changes in the market;
• Was it the target for 5-10 dwellings or site area which defined this target;
• Recommendation (iv) to refer to ‘Opposition Spokesperson’ rather than ‘Shadow Executive Member’.

In answer to questions Members were informed that evidence for the study had been gained both from experience of previous work undertaken by Fordham Research and information received from local and nationally recognised data sources. It was also confirmed that details of target definition would be clarified in a report to the Planning Committee which will set out the interim approach for Development Control, until the Core Strategy is adopted.

Consideration was given to possible deferral of the report to allow further discussions between Officers, Housing Associations and developers in relation to the assumptions in the model.

Following further discussion it was

RESOLVED:          (i) That LDF Working Group recommends to the Executive that approval be given for the publication of the Affordable Housing Viability Study as part of the Local Development Framework evidence base.

(ii) That approval be given to the use the principles of the Dynamic Model and the conclusions of the study to formulate the Core Strategy Policy which will be brought back to the LDFWG for consideration with the remainder of the Core Strategy Submission Draft.

(iii) To recommend that the Executive adopt the targets and thresholds in the Study for Development Control purposes and the Dynamic Model principles as an interim approach until the Core Strategy is adopted. ^1.

(iv) Delegate to the Director of City Strategy, in consultation with the Executive Member and Opposition Spokesperson, the making of any incidental changes arising from the recommendation of the LDF Working Group, prior to its publication as part of the Local Development Framework evidence base. ^2.

REASON:                (i) So that the Affordable Housing Study can be used as part of the Local Development Framework evidence base and to avoid delays to the Core Strategy production.

(ii) To ensure that the Core Strategy Policy is based and supported on an up to date evidence base.

(iii)             So that affordable housing is enabled and delivered in accordance with this up to date evidence base.

(iv) So that any recommended changes can be incorporated into the Affordable Housing Viability Study.