Agenda item

Proposed redevelopment of former concrete batching plant for the construction of new housing (outline)

Proposed Redevelopment of Former Concrete Batching Plant for the Construction of New Housing (Outline)

Consideration was given to the report submitted in relation to the above application, a copy of which had been circulated.

A Caines, Principal Planning Officer gave a detailed presentation which included photographs of the site.

J Lavender, the applicant’s agent stated that the site had stood derelict for a number of years. It had proved difficult to attract developers to the site and he believed that the removal of the requirement to provide affordable homes would kick start interest.

Whilst he welcomed this, he noted that a mechanism to review the viability of the site was proposed, and he was concerned that this may cause uncertainty for developers, particularly in terms of securing finance.

Each application should be considered on its own merits and there were already affordable properties for sale in this location which would cost less to purchase than it would cost a developer to build on the Cemex site. There were also a number of affordable properties in the area standing empty.

The Committee discussed the application at length and gave consideration to the recommendation that the provision of 20% affordable housing be removed from the scheme.  Members felt that when the outline application had been approved in January 2010 there had already been a downturn in the housing market and that it was known at that time that there would be site remediation costs.

With regard to the proposal for a mechanism in the Section 106 agreement to review the viability of the site, Members acknowledged that this was not unusual on sites where affordable housing requirements had been relaxed. They also expressed their concern that the report did not include any details of the viability assessment which supported the removal of affordable housing from the scheme.

Consideration was given to the merits of imposing a condition which would require a lower percentage of affordable units to be included in the scheme, and accordingly a minimum of 10% affordable provision was proposed. This proposal was rejected by Members.

Having taken these factors into account, the Committee concluded that affordable housing was much needed on this site and that it should be provided at a minimum of 20%.

RESOLVED

That the application be approved, subject to the conditions outlined in the report and to the completion of a Section 106 Legal Agreement requiring:-

(i)  A financial contribution of £93,900 to the provision and subsequent  maintenance of related social, community and/or recreational facilities in the locality

(ii)  A minimum 20% affordable housing provision.