South Ribble Borough Council Housing Viability Assessment Final Report Dr Andrew Golland BSc (Hons) PhD, MRICS Three Dragons
[email protected] March 2010 1 INTRODUCTION Background to the Study 1.1 South Ribble Borough Council, in association with Preston City Council and Chorley Council appointed Three Dragons to undertake a housing viability study covering a range of housing market circumstances across the Borough as part of a complementary set of three studies covering the combined Central Lancashire area. The work was overseen by the Council’s own Steering Group. It also builds upon and is consistent with the Central Lancashire Strategic Housing Market Assessment (August 2009) and the local Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment research. 1.2 The broad aims of the study were to consider an appropriate affordable housing target or targets for the authority, as well as to advise on an appropriate site size threshold or thresholds in the light of the varying local market and land supply conditions. This work has been done to inform the Local Development Framework – a portfolio of Local Development Documents that will come to replace the District's Local Plan 1.3 This report relates to the specific circumstances of South Ribble although considers in the wider context regional and national viability benchmarks. The report analyses the impact of affordable housing and other planning obligations on scheme viability. Policy context - national 1.4 This study focuses on the percentage of affordable housing sought on mixed tenure sites and the size of site from above which affordable housing is sought (the site size threshold).