St Andrews & East Fife Local Plan - Home Page

provide details of sites identified to meet the requirement. TheProposals Map identifies new allocations. The identified sites achievean effective five-year land supply in the St Andrews and North East FifeHousing Market Area. In the Cupar and North West Fife HousingMarket Area, the current economic conditions and the complex natureof the site mean that the Cupar North Strategic Land Allocation is likelyto deliver houses later and at a slower rate than originally envisagedThere is not, therefore, a minimum five-year supply of effective housingland in this housing market area. Additional allocations to compensatehave not been made, as explained above in paragraph 53.59. Affordable housing60. Two of Fife’s greatest assets – its location and environmental quality –contribute to pressuring the housing market. Lying within commutingdistance of Dundee, Perth, Stirling, and Edinburgh has helped to attracta high demand from both within and beyond Fife’s boundaries. TheLocal Housing Strategy (update 2008) states that 60% of secondhomes in Fife are in East Fife (almost 38% in the East Neuk alone).The greatest house price rises in Fife between 1998 and 2003 (80%and above) have been in the East Neuk and St Andrews. The ScottishGovernment acknowledges the housing market issues within the Planarea and agreed to the Fife Council East Neuk and St Andrewslocalities having Pressured Area Status, which suspends the right tobuy for some tenants.61. Other initiatives include the Council’s Affordable Housing Policy, theselection of a preferred partnership for the delivery of subsidisedaffordable housing in Fife (currently the Fife Housing AssociationAlliance) and the Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP). FifeCouncil has also identified funding in order to provide new build councilhousing in the region of 50 units per annum over the next five years.62. Affordable housing, including special needs housing, will be soughtwhere there is a demonstrated need. A mix of tenures will be soughtincluding low cost ownership and social rented although the Council’spreference is for social rented housing. Given Fife’s changingdemographic profile, in terms of a projected increase in the number ofelderly persons, the provision of special needs housing will beimportant.63. The Structure Plan sets the requirements for the provision of affordablehousing. The proportions that apply are: 20% in the Cupar and NorthWest Fife Housing Market Area, and; 30% in the St Andrews and NorthEast Fife Housing Market Area. The Council will work with the housebuilding industry in providing affordable housing as part of developmentproposals. In the interests of equity, delivery of affordable housing willbe sought on all appropriate development, commensurate with scale.