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Ministers drop plan to remove affordable housing quotas on mid-size sites
The reversal keeps affordability requirements for private builders on sites with 10 to 49 homes, after a consultation drew overwhelming opposition.
Ministers in England have dropped proposals to relax affordable housing rules for private developers on medium-sized residential sites, after a backlash from housing experts, the Guardian Business reported. The government said it will not remove affordability quotas on sites containing between 10 and 49 houses.
The change had been included in a 150-page planning reform document and would have allowed developers to make cash payments instead of building affordable homes on-site for qualifying developments. Ministers had hoped the approach would support slower housebuilding rates and help move toward the government’s goal of building 1.5 million new homes by the end of this parliament.
Housing leaders argued the rule change would disproportionately affect rural areas. The National Housing Federation said that, in the most rural parts of England, more than half of all affordable homes are built on developments of this size.
The NHF also warned the policy could reduce the supply of cheaper homes, estimating it could cost the country 32,000 affordable homes over the next 10 years, according to the Guardian Business.