National Planning Policy Framework 'weakens' definition of affordable housing

Published by 24publishing for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Central Government, Communities, Local Government

Homelessness charity Shelter says it's "extremely disappointed" that the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) - published today - has "weakened" the definition of affordable housing, and "loosened requirements" for developers to build affordable homes.

Published today - in Annex 2 of the document - the new definition of affordable housing takes into account a person's 'eligibility' with regard to local incomes and local house prices .

However, the document it has replaced - Planning Policy 3 - states that affordable housing should: "meet the needs of eligible households including availability at a cost low enough for them to afford, determined in relation to local incomes and local house prices".

Deborah Garvie, Senior Policy Officer at Shelter, said: "This may appear to be a matter of semantics, but is in fact a very significant change. It could result in a scenario where housing is considered affordable because households' 'eligibility' for such homes is determined with regard to local incomes and house prices, regardless of whether the homes offered are at a cost low enough for people with average incomes to afford without financial assistance.

"For example, the new Affordable Rent homes (let at 80 per cent of market rates) could remain out of reach for the majority of working households and completely unaffordable for the poorest. Research for East Thames Group has found that, in Newham, 65 per cent of households would be unable to afford a three bedroom home let at 80 per cent of market rates."

At the heart of the Government's NPPF (see full document here) are plans to introduce a 'presumption in favour of sustainable development', that means that "development is not held up unless to approve it would be against our collective interest".

Speaking in the Commons today, Greg Clark said he had accepted 30 of the 35 recommendations made on the framework by the Communities and Local Government (CLG) Select Committee.

However, the CLG Select Committee Report on NPPF (paragraph 41) recommended that the current (PPS3) definition should be reiterated to avoid any confusion.  This is one of the few Select Committee recommendations that the Government has not taken on board.

Shelter’s chief executive Campbell Robb said: "We welcome the government’s recognition of the desperate need to build more homes, which can help provide jobs and boost growth.

“But unless these homes are genuinely affordable it will do nothing to help the millions of families facing a daily struggle to meet their housing costs.

“That’s why it’s extremely disappointing that the new framework has weakened the definition of affordable housing, and loosened requirements for developers to build affordable homes."

In terms of housing provision, councils with a poor record of delivering new homes have been told to increase their supply of deliverable sites, the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) reveals.

Under the framework, councils should identify and update a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years worth of housing  with an additional buffer of 5% to ensure choice and competition in the market for land.

However, it says where there has been a record of "persistent under delivery of housing", councils should increase the buffer to 20%.

Mark Henderson, chief executive of 50,000-home Home Group, said: “As a leading builder of affordable homes, we welcome the decision to simplify planning policy and to focus the minds of planning officials on approving sustainable development unless there is an over-riding reason to refuse.

“Home Group lobbied hard for a greater recognition of the importance of affordable housing in the framework and we’re pleased to see that local planning authorities will be required to clearly set out the rate at which affordable homes will be delivered in their area. 

“The commitment to greater mixed-use development is the correct approach as this is the only way to build stronger communities and avoid ghettoisation.

“Now, we have to get down to the job at hand and start building the homes that the UK so desperately needs. The Housing Strategy, the National Planning Policy Framework and the range of other strategies and initiatives are important in shaping development but it is the graft of putting bricks, timber and mortar together that will really change the lives of thousands of people in need of affordable homes.”