Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2010 - Falkirk Council

Affordable Housing Policy
4.5 Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) was approved in January 2009 in relation
to the method of delivering the Council’s Affordable Housing Policy. By then, the
economic downturn was underway and there has been a severe reduction in
house-building activity by the private sector. In the light of this, the Council is
undertaking a review of the Affordable Housing Policy and SPG with a view to
reducing the threshold for the size of sites which would come within the scope of
the policy. This would extend the requirement to provide an element of affordable
housing on smaller sites, on which developers appear to be concentrating their
resources in the current economic climate. In August 2010, the Scottish
Government published PAN2/2010 Affordable Housing and Housing Land Audits
which replaces the old PAN74 and appendix to SPP3 and this will be taken into
account as part of the Council’s review of the Affordable Housing Policy and
subsequent SPG.
Strategic Initiatives for Residential-led Regeneration (SIRRs)
4.6 In addition to the base housing requirement, Falkirk Council’s Structure Plan and
Local Plan Finalised Draft (deposit version) have indicated four locations - Strategic
Initiatives for Residential-led Regeneration (SIRRs) - where residential development
will be encouraged to assist regeneration:
4.7 • Banknock and Haggs,
• Bo’ness Foreshore,
• Whitecross,
• Slamannan.
4.8 These locations offer the potential for large-scale development in areas that have
lacked investment to date. Each location does, however, have particular
constraints in terms of physical infrastructure. The provision of social infrastructure
and, in some cases, economic development opportunities, will also be essential to
secure regeneration. Development will be conditional on the provision of a
comprehensive master plan for the areas concerned, the provision of the necessary
infrastructure through a co-ordinated approach to developer contributions,
appropriate phasing and satisfactory environmental assessments.
4.9 Three of the four SIRRs offer real potential for affordable housing land to be made
available through the Affordable Housing Policy by working in partnership with the
developers to ensure that mixed tenure communities are incorporated within each
of the master plans. At the time the Bo’ness SIRR was declared there was no
expectation that affordable housing would be part of its overall vision, however, the
downturn in the housing markets now means that this position will need to be
reviewed. During the period of this SHIP, progress on each of the three SIRRs
which are expected to deliver affordable housing will be monitored and reported on
to ensure necessary resources are programmed and allocated to meet affordable
housing requirements.
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