Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document (PDF 736 KB)

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Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document Parish Housing Needs Surveys 4.11 Parish Councils are encouraged to undertake a housing needs survey perhaps in conjunction with a Parish Plan. Where Parish Councils have undertaken more detailed and qualitative local Parish Appraisals and Parish Plan work, and housing needs surveys are undertaken within three years of a District-wide survey, their findings will take precedence for the purpose of determining specific local needs for affordable housing. A local survey is usually required to support any affordable housing development through the Planning Exceptions Policy. Parish Councils are advised to contact the Rural Housing Enabler before undertaking such surveys to ensure the methodology is appropriate. Contact details in Appendix 8 ‘A checklist for Parish and Town Councils: How to Assist in the Provision of Affordable Housing’. Special Needs and Supported Housing 4.12 The need for dwellings, which are suitable for people with special needs, and the need for accommodation with associated care and support, rely on more specific information than that contained in housing needs surveys. The Primary Care Trusts and Social Services are the main partnership agencies that provide care and support, and the County Council’s Supporting People Team co-ordinate revenue funding for services provided to a range of client groups. When planning new affordable dwellings, the Council will take account of any priorities identified in the current Supporting People Strategy. This is available on the County Council’s website: www.gloucestershire.gov.uk 4.13 Homes to cater for particular needs may be required. Developers are advised to contact the Council’s Housing Strategy Manager at an early stage to determine if there are any requirements and how these may be accommodated. A specialist agency should be involved to provide suitable accommodation. Strategic Housing Need 4.14 RPG 10 acknowledges at paragraph 3.15 that not all planning issues tidily match the boundaries of the administrative areas of Local Authorities or other Agencies. RPG10 advises that inter-authority consultation and co-operation on cross-boundary issues should take place. Stroud District Council works in partnership at a strategic level with its neighbouring Local Authorities, particularly where proposals for development cover a Housing Market Area that extends over more than one Local Authority administrative area. Specific advice in relation to affordable housing provision can be obtained from the Housing Strategy Manager. 14 Stroud District Council
5 Definitions of Affordability 5.1 The National Housing Federation's (NHF) current definition for rented accommodation is that: Rents are affordable if the majority of working households taking up new tenancies are not caught in the poverty trap (because of dependency on housing benefit) or paying more than 25% of their net income in rent, including service charges. 5.2 Department for Communities & Local Government guidance states: A household is considered able to afford market housing in cases where the rent payable would constitute no more than 25% of their gross household income and on shared equity products rental & mortgage payments together should constitute no more than 30% of gross income. 5.3 Whilst the Council’s affordable housing policies are currently based upon a threshold of no more than 40% of net income on housing costs, it recognises the reasoning behind the NHF threshold of 25%. The Council supports this definition for low-income households so as to avoid dependency on housing benefits, and the risk of homelessness or repossession. The reality of calculating eligibility for a mortgage, by using a multiple of annual income, means that those who are not on the lowest incomes will invariably be paying more than 25% of their net income on housing costs. In seeking the provision of affordable housing, the Council needs to be assured that costs are accessible and manageable for those people who rent or purchase it. 5.4 The Council has adopted a benchmark for the affordability of house purchase. This takes account of the household income of potential first time buyers and existing owner occupiers with at least one regular full time income who have a need for larger accommodation (Appendix 2 ‘Monitoring Housing Needs and Income Needs’). District Wide House Prices 5.5 Land Registry house price data is used to inform policy. Land Registry Median price data for Stroud District in 2007 shows the average price of a property to be £252,791. Appendix 2 ‘Monitoring Housing Needs and Income Needs’ includes house price monitoring data. Local Average Earnings 5.6 Increases in house prices have been significantly higher than the increase in local earnings. Local earnings data show that earnings rose by a maximum of 32.9% in the period since the original Housing Needs Survey was published in 1996, which is a lot less than that of house price inflation. Appendix 2 ‘Monitoring Housing Needs and Income Needs’ contains an income summary. Stroud District Council 15
Page 1 and 2: Affordable Housing Supplementary Pl
Page 3 and 4: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Introduction: Purpo
Page 5 and 6: 7 8 9 10 11 12 A Brief Guide to Aff
Page 7 and 8: Regional Planning Guidance, as set
Page 9 and 10: 2.3 Regional Planning Guidance (RPG
Page 11 and 12: 3.8 Policy HN4 - site threshold siz
Page 13: 4.6 The Council needs to promote an
Page 17 and 18: 6 Forms of Affordable Housing 6.1 T
Page 19 and 20: 8 Community Participation 8.1 The C
Page 21 and 22: The Council is mindful of the advic
Page 23 and 24: 9.16 This guidance highlights the d
Page 25 and 26: Timing of Affordable Housing Provis
Page 27 and 28: 10 Rural Exceptions 10.1 The Counci
Page 29 and 30: 11 Monitoring and Review 11.1 The C
Page 31 and 32: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, A Guide
Page 33 and 34: 6. any natural or built features on
Page 35 and 36: Housing Register Table 2.3 Total ho
Page 37 and 38: Appendix 3 Developers' Guide to the
Page 39 and 40: Landowners and/or their Developer p
Page 41 and 42: Appendix 4 Best Practice for Pre-Ap
Page 43 and 44: Appendix 5 The Council's Policy on
Page 45 and 46: Table 5.3 Shared Ownership Properti
Page 47 and 48: Please contact the applicant who wi
Page 49 and 50: Discounted Open Market Sale ~ also
Page 51 and 52: affordable housing can be provided
Page 53 and 54: After 5 years the Shared Owner want
Page 55 and 56: Tel: 01453 754468 Fax: 01453 754963
Page 57 and 58: Appendix 10 Glossary of Terms Affor
Page 59 and 60: Appendix 11 Registered Social Landl
Page 61 and 62: Integration / Clusters of Affordabl

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