Development of Affordable Housing

The Council is working with its Registered Social Landlord partners and the Homes and Communities Agency to deliver good quality affordable housing for local people who are unable to resolve their housing requirements in the local private sector market.

Sustainable Communities

The Council seeks to create sustainable and socially inclusive communities. We recognise that any affordable homes built, must be sustainable and constructed to a high standard of design, they must form part of new or existing communities, of normally, mixed tenure housing with good access to jobs, amenities and services, and with consideration for the impact on existing infrastructure and local services.

Type and Balance of Housing Provision

The Council has made it a planning requirement that all new residential developments of 15 or more dwellings must include a minimum of 40% affordable homes.

In accordance with the recommendation of the Strategic Housing Market Assessment (2010), and Affordable Housing Development Plan Document (AHDP), the Council expect that of the 40% affordable housing requirement, 24% of units should provide for new rental accommodation, and the remaining 16% should provide for shared ownership (New Build Homebuy), shared equity and discounted market rent.

Any rented units secured contribute to the Council’s efforts to reduce homelessness and the numbers of people forced to live in temporary accommodation. Low cost home ownership units increase opportunities for people on low to average incomes to get onto the property ladder.

Good Quality Design

There are various standards which providers of new affordable housing meet, in order to ensure good design and build quality, which produces homes that are able to meet peoples changing needs, are considerate of the surrounding environment, and part of mixed, balanced and thriving sustainable communities.

• New-build affordable housing schemes are designed to meet the requirements of the new Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH). 
• The Code builds upon the Building Research Establishment's (BRE) EcoHomes system, which had already achieved success in reducing the impact of affordable housing projects. The code uses a sustainability rating system, indicated by stars, which measures the overall sustainability performance of a home.
• All new affordable housing schemes will need to achieve at least level 3 (***) of the CSH, which is an important step towards the Goverment's aims of zero carbon development for all new building from 2016. It applies to all new build development, whether for social rented or low cost home ownership (i.e. New Build Homebuy).
• New build affordable housing dwellings are expected to meet the minimum requirements of the Homes and Communities Agency Design and Quality Standards, which sets out the agency's requirements and recommendations for all new homes which recieve Social Housing Grant.
• Secure By Design schemes protect homes and neighbourhoods, against crime and vandalism, to help local people feel safer and more secure in their neighbourhood.
• Lifetime Homes Design Standards help to produce homes which can be adapted at little cost to meet the future needs of residents.