For:      South Shropshire Housing Association per Savills Commercial Ltd, Caxton House, 1 Fore Street, Birmingham, B2 5ER

 

Ward: Kington Town

The Principal Planning Officer presented the following updates:

 

Member raised two issues for further consideration – Design and the need for rented / affordable housing. Both of these issues have been fully considered and members can be further updated as follows:

 

Design

 

Revised plans altering the design of the proposed dwellings have been submitted and re-consultations have been undertaken. The consultations on the revised proposal expire on the 2^nd August 2007.  She therefore proposed appropriate changes the recommendation.

 

Affordable Housing Tenure / Need

 

In response to members comments that Kington was in need of ‘shared ownership’ affordable housing rather than ‘rented’ affordable housing. Further investigation and discussions have been undertaken in order to respond to these queries.

 

Following this meeting the Councils Strategic Housing Manager has responded as follows:

 

On Friday 20th July 2007 an information day was held in Kington by Strategic Housing and in Partnership with the Town Council inviting members of the public to come and discuss what housing options were available.  Each member of the public was spoken to individually about their options and advised what schemes could possibly be coming forward over the next 12 months.  People were also advised about Shared Ownership, Renting from a RSL and what other property purchase schemes were available, such as Homebuy, DIYSO and Festival Property Purchase.

 

A questionnaire was under taken gathering information about income, what tenure they would be interested in I.e. renting from RSL, Renting Privately, Share Ownership etc.

 

The outcome of the questionnaires is as follows:

 

·         10 applicants wanted rented accommodation from RSL

·         3 applicants wanted to purchase a shared ownership property

·         4 applicants asked for rented and/or shared ownership, but when income details were supplied it was questionable as to whether they would be able to afford to purchase. 

 

Actual figures from The Housing Needs Study shows a need for 34 properties for rent, 7 for shared ownership and 8 wanted to purchase low cost or discounted properties.  Strategic Housing no longer negotiate low cost or discounted units as these have proven not to be affordable and would require a discount of approx 50%+.

 

Home point data shows that there are 103 people in Kington (currently living in Kington) on the common housing register.  Off these 103 applicants 77 have stated a preference to stay in Kington.

 

As you are aware there are three planning applications in planning with an overall total of 46 affordable units.  Strategic Housing has negotiated the mix and tenure as follows.

 

Kingswood Hall Kington 6 shared ownership 6 rented

Old Eardisley Road 5 shared ownership and 11 rented

Maesydari  10 rented and 8 shared ownership

 

Strategic Housing feels that in light of the evidence supplied via the Housing Needs Study, Home point data and evidence gathered from the Information Day the mix and tenure secured on all three sites is a true reflection of the needs of Kington and would look for the Committee to support the mix and tenure secured.

 

Additional Correspondence

 

In response to Members Concerns an additional Letter from Applicants Agent (Savills) has been received which can be summarised as follows:

 

The changes to the elevations include:

Upper Walls – Horizontal lap untreated larch boarding traditional to Marches Counties. Needs no initial or subsequent staining or maintenance and fades naturally to silver grey colour.

Lower Walls – natural through coloured sand lime render using Bromfield sand to provide a creamy grey colour.

Brick Detailing 0 small area of Marches Handmade clay stock brick around porch and door details.

 

In relation to the mix of tenure of the dwellings the Association currently propose six shared ownership and six rented as has been indicated by the Housing Strategy. Should members wish to increase the proportion of shared ownership dwellings in determining the application, then the Association can be flexible in include this within the section 106.

 

Officers Comments

 

Officers are now fully satisfied that the dwellings in their revised form will be a successful form of development which will improve the existing character and appearance of the site.

 

With regards to the proposed mix of tenure on the site. Advice has been taken from the Councils Strategic Housing Team who have provided a fully informed opinion of the needs of this particular part of the County. To update this the further meeting was held which appears to reiterate the findings of previous surveys and current date held by Homepoint. It is acknowledge that ‘expressions of interest’ or a ‘desire’ to purchase an affordable dwelling may well be frequent, however the ability to be able to ‘afford’ to buy is sometimes questionable. 

 

As such the proposal to provide a 50/50 split on this site is the conclusion of findings based on factual evidence and will meet the needs for both rented and shared accommodation in the area. As such Officers recommend that no change to the mix of housing to be provided be made.

 

Councillor TM James the Local Ward Member thanked the officers for their hard work in negotiating a much more favourable scheme.  He still had concerns about the extent of rented accommodation when viewed within the context of that provided at Kington and suggested that the development should be comprised of 8 for purchase and 4 for rent.  The Head of Strategic Housing Services said that the scheme submitted was had the benefit of a £400,000 grant from the Housing Corporation and that any changes to it would affect this.  He also advised that tenants had the right to choose the location of their accommodation now rather have to take what was available.  Councillor Mrs JP French said that the recent information day about the scheme had proved to be a great success and that she would like to see a similar approach on future ones.  The Chairman said that Kington Town Council had expressed their thanks to the enabling officer about her presentation.

 

RESOLVED

 

that subject to no further objections raising additional material planning considerations by the end of the consultation period then;

 

The Head of Legal and Democratic Services be authorised to complete a planning obligation agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in accordance with the Heads of Terms appended to this report and any additional or amended matters which he considers to be necessary and appropriate.

 

Upon completion of the above-mentioned planning obligation agreement Officers named in the Scheme of Delegation be authorised to issue planning permission subject to the following conditions:-

 

        A01 (Time limit for commencement (full permission) )

 

         Reason: Required to be imposed by Section 91 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

 

2 -     B01 (Samples of external materials )

 

         Reason: To ensure that the materials harmonise with the surroundings.

 

3 -     F16 (Restriction of hours during construction )

 

         Reason: To protect the amenity of local residents.

 

4 -     G01 (Details of boundary treatments )

 

         Reason: In the interests of visual amenity and to ensure dwellings have satisfactory privacy.

 

5 -     G02 (Landscaping scheme (housing development) )

 

         Reason: To ensure a satisfactory and well planned development and to preserve and enhance the quality of the environment.

 

6 -   G03 (Landscaping scheme (housing development) - implementation )

 

         Reason: To ensure a satisfactory and well planned development and to preserve and enhance the quality of the environment.

 

7 -     G18 (Protection of trees )

 

         Reason: To ensure adequate protection to existing trees which are to be retained, in the interests of the character and amenities of the area.

 

8 -     H01 (Single access - not footway )

 

         Reason: In the interests of highway safety.

 

9 -     H06 (Vehicular access construction )

 

         Reason: In the interests of highway safety.

 

10 -      H08 (Access closure )

 

         Reason:  To ensure the safe and free flow of traffic using the adjoining highway.

 

11 -      H13 (Access, turning area and parking )

 

         Reason: In the interests of highway safety and to ensure the free flow of traffic using the adjoining highway.

 

12 -      H27 (Parking for site operatives )

 

         Reason: To prevent indiscriminate parking in the interests of highway safety.

 

13 -      H29 (Secure cycle parking provision )

 

         Reason: To ensure that there is adequate provision for secure cycle accommodation within the application site, encouraging alternative modes of transport in accordance with both local and national planning policy.

 

14 -   No development shall take place until the following has been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority:

 

a)  a 'desk study' report including previous site and adjacent site uses, potential contaminants arising from those uses, possible sources, pathways, and receptors, a conceptual model and a risk assessment in accordance with current best practice.

 

b)  if the risk assessment in (a) confirms the possibility of a significant pollutant linkage(s), a site investigation should be undertaken to characterise fully the nature and extent and severity of contamination, incorporating a conceptual model of all the potential pollutant linkages and as assessment of risk to identified receptors.

 

c)  if the risk assessment in (b) identifies unacceptable risk(s) a detailed scheme specifying remedial works and measures necessary to avoid risk from contaminants/or gases when the site is developed.  The Remediation Scheme shall include consideration of and proposals to deal with situations where, during works on site, contamination is encountered which has not previously been identified.  Any further contamination encountered shall be fully assessed and an appropriate remediation scheme submitted to the local planning authority for written approval.

 

15 -   The Remediation Scheme, as approved pursuant to condition no (1) above, shall be fully implemented before the development is first occupied.  On completion of the remediation scheme the developer shall provide a validation report to confirm that all works were completed in accordance with the agreed details, which must be submitted before the development is first occupied.  Any variation to the scheme including the validation reporting shall be agreed in writing with the local planning authority in advance of works being undertaken.

 

16 -   Prior to the commencement of development on the site the recommendations set out in the ecological report by Carter Ecological Limited as a result of their survey of the site on 30/05/2007 shall be undertaken and details of mitigation and findings submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority.

 

         Reason:  To protect the ecological interests of the site.

 

 

INFORMATIVES:

 

1 -     HN01 - Mud on highway

 

2 -     HN04 - Private apparatus within highway

 

3 -     HN05 - Works within the highway

 

4 -     HN10 - No drainage to discharge to highway

 

5 -     HN22 - Works adjoining highway

 

6 -     N15 - Reason(s) for the Grant of PP/LBC/CAC

 

7 -     N19 - Avoidance of doubt