Scarborough Borough Council
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Scarborough Borough Council Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 Town and County Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 Scarborough Borough Local Development Framework Consultation Statement Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document 2012 This Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) has been prepared in compliance with Section 12 of The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012. The revised draft Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document was approved for consultation at the 2nd February Planning and Development Committee and at Cabinet on 14th February. The document was published for consultation on 17th February for six weeks until 30th March 2012. The draft SPD was advertised within the Local Press, and was published on the Council’s Website. Copies of this document were deposited within the Council Offices at Scarborough, Whitby and Filey and in Local Libraries and published on the Council’s website. Paper and/or electronic copies were sent to key stakeholders, and all interested parties on the Council’s LDF consultation database were informed of the documents publication. A total of 77 consultation responses were received. A summary and analysis of each of these is below. There are no substantive changes to the SPD although some minor textural changes are shown below. In assessing more detailed comments on the draft SPD, a series of very minor changes to the document are suggested. These do not amend the overall direction of the document, but seek to address minor matters of clarification identified by consultees. A schedule setting out the proposed changes to the draft SPD follows the table of comments. Planning and Development considered the SPD responses on the 14th June 2012. Cabinet considered the SPD responses on the 19th June 2012. Full Council considered the responses and agreed the adoption of the SPD on the 2nd July 2012. AFFORDABLE HOUSING SPD 2012 Schedule of Comments and Officer Recommendations Affordable Housing SPD 2012 Organisation Full Name Title No Response Details Officers Recommendations Policy Support is noted and welcomed. The County Council recognises that the lack of Development Mr Affordable affordable housing for local people in North Team Manager Housing Yorkshire is a major concern and has consistently (Planning & Malcolm Supplementary supported measures aimed at addressing the Countryside Unit) Planning issue. The County Council therefore supports the Spittle Document 2012 proposed SPD aimed at increasing the supply of North Yorkshire affordable homes in Scarborough. County Council The North York Moors National Park Authority is Support is noted and welcomed. Affordable currently revising it’s affordable housing target Caroline Housing through the Housing DPD. The Housing DPD has NYMNP Supplementary been supported by a viability assessment which Skelly Planning shows that an affordable housing target of 40% Document 2012 on developments of 2 or more units is appropriate within the National Park. Organisation Full Name Title No Response Details Officers Recommendations The Scarborough Affordable Housing SPD Consultation Draft proposes a range of affordable housing targets dependent on different levels of development. These levels differ from those proposed for the National Park Authority area which is an area of development restraint but are considered appropriate for the scale of development which is likely to be delivered in Scarborough Borough. For these reasons the North York Moors National Park Authority supports the proposed changes set out in the Affordable Housing SPD Consultation Draft 2012. Please note these are the views of Officers only. Mrs The Government stance is that sites have to Affordable Deputy Clerk The Parish Council states that the lack of Social be viable and targets mustt be set but there Housing Nicola Housing is due to the fact Scarborough Borough is a need to be flexible in relation to site Supplementary Hunmanby Parish Council sets thresholds and yet they are never specific issues. No change recommended. Planning Hayden Clerk adhered to. Document 2012 Craggs If the Council persists with the SPD in its present The targets suggested within the SPD have form, it is highly unlikely that any applications will been produced in line with the robust Planning be submitted for affordable housing at the level evidence base within the Affordable Housing Mr Manager Affordable proposed within it, as the targets are unrealistic. Economic Viability Assessment. In the Housing Our Client therefore considers that the SPD will majority of areas this has resulted in the Paul Barratt Homes & Supplementary not have any positive impact on increasing the percentage of on-site requirements below David Wilson Planning provision of affordable housing as its approach that of the existing SPD. Whilst they are Butler Homes Yorkshire Document 2012 will only serve to continue the status quo, with targets there will be flexibility where sites are East Division applications being submitted under the target to shown to be not viable. No change be determined on the basis of an open-book recommended. viability assessment. Organisation Full Name Title No Response Details Officers Recommendations NPPF was published after the consultation Affordable draft but the SPD still reflects the policy Housing approach and has reduced targets to reduce Provincial Land Should be redrafted to reflect NPPF policy, Supplementary the burden on developers and thereby Developments including reference to Paragraph 173. Planning encourage development. Recommend Document 2012 amendments to SPD text to reflect NPPF and remove reference to PPSs. Mrs Parish Clerk Affordable This comment relates to a specific site issue Housing Why building was proposed on the outskirts when rather than the SPD. No change Julia Newby and Supplementary central government was encouraging less vehicle recommended. Scalby Parish Planning usage. Marley Council Document The general thrust of this revised planning Support is noted and welcomed. guidance for the provision of affordable housing is welcomed. It pays attention to emerging national Mr What is the guidance and in particular is more flexible than justification for Chartered the previous approach, better reflecting the Richard requiring 1 Surveyor current economic downturn where the viability of Affordable housing development has often been in doubt. In Dixon Housing? some cases affordable housing requirements have been a serious impediment to delivering good quality market housing developments. The general thrust of this revised planning Support is noted and welcomed. guidance for the provision of affordable housing is welcomed. It pays attention to emerging national What is the guidance and in particular is more flexible than Philip justification for Philip Parker the previous approach, better reflecting the requiring 1 Planning Services current economic downturn where the viability of Parker Affordable housing development has often been in doubt. In Housing? some cases affordable housing requirements have been a serious impediment to delivering good quality market housing developments. Mrs Deputy Clerk & Paragraph 1.1 One "decent home" does not mean that an The introduction of the financial contribution Organisation Full Name Title No Response Details Officers Recommendations Civic Officer existing home becomes less decent! Should look will facilitate the provision of a pool of A at improving the existing housing stock. funding, which potentially could be used to Whitby Town improve existing stock and make them Cowey Council available for affordable housing. No change recommended. Local occupancy criteria would normally only apply for exception sites outside development limits. There are also legal requirements for allocation policies to ensure that reasonable preference is given to categories of people in housing need Whitby can't provide "a decent home" for Mrs Deputy Clerk & everyone who wants to live there. Whitby has a Civic Officer Consideration is being given to having a finite amount of land available for homes, being A Paragraph 1.2 Local Lettings Agreement for the Helredale/ surrounded on three sides by NYMNP and on the Whitby Town St Peters Road affordable housing fourth by the sea. Preference should be given to Cowey Council development to give some extra priority to local people and people who work within the area. local people in housing need Lettings through the North Yorkshire Homechoice for the allocation of social rented housing to date have shown that the vast majority (approx. 95%) have gone to people with a local connection. No change recommended. Whilst we recognise there is a need for affordable This is designed as an alteration of the housing in Scarborough, as in all parts of the existing SPD to reflect change in the Mr Strategic Planner country, we would like to raise a number of economy and potential viability of sites. It is concerns regarding the detail within the Affordable intended to fill the policy vacuum until the Jonathan Persimmon Paragraph 1.2 Housing SPD. local plan is produced which will have a Homes specific policy relating to affordable housing Abbott (Yorkshire) We consider that planning policies such as provision which will be examined. It is felt affordable housing mix should not be presented this revised SPD produces greater clarity for Organisation Full Name Title No Response Details Officers Recommendations and considered simply as a SPD. Such policies applicants in that it prevents