The sector is missing out on extra affordable homes because planning policy guidance on housing has been delayed, experts have said.
Consultation on revised guidance to PPG3, which covers housing, has been going on since July. It was set to be published in recent weeks but it will not now be released until the end of the year.
The guidance is likely to enable local authorities to get more affordable homes as developers will have to provide an affordable element on smaller sites, even if they are not included in a council’s local plan. It also allows councils to have more say over the size and tenure of affordable housing provided through agreements with developers.
Robin Tetlow, director of planning consultancy Tetlow King, said the delay on the guidance was “terrible”. He added: “Opportunities [for more affordable housing] are being lost because of the failure to publish it.”
Richard Bate, partner in planning consultancy firm Green Balance, said: “The sooner we can get a revision of PPG3 in place, particularly the lower threshold for size of sites on which affordable housing can be negotiated, the better.”
It is understood that wrangling between housebuilders and the government has delayed publication. The guidance could result in housebuilders having to provide more large homes and a greater amount of social housing – rather than, say, low cost home ownership properties – to satisfy the new planning rules.
Meanwhile, a new rule aimed at speeding up negotiations between councils and housebuilders on affordable housing was published on Tuesday. The circular sets out standard documents and charges that councils can use when working out what affordable housing contribution a developer should make when building on a site.
Source
Housing Today
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