Developers win approval to cut affordable housing quota on major development
A developer has won permission to reduce the number of affordable homes on part of a major housing project, but committee members admitted they were reluctant to agree.
The Lawley Village Developer Group (LVDG) received planning permission for 187 houses between Station Road and the B5072 in 2019, and the original plans said one eighth of the total would be offered at below-market rent.
The LVDG applied to reduce this from 12.5 per cent to 10 per cent, or 23 to 19 homes, saying this would make the site more viable financially.
Telford and Wrekin Council officers recommended approval, saying the reduction complied with national guidance and was preferable to construction “stalling”.
The borough’s planning committee voted in favour, but independent member Peter Scott said he was “fed up” of allocations being reduced.
A report by planning officers said the LDVG provided an “viability appraisal”, which was verified by an independent council-appointed assessor.
This said that, even if no affordable homes were provided, the site would still have a deficit of £447,313.
It added doing so would be compliant with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
“The proposal of 10 per cent affordable housing is a betterment on this,” it said, concluding that “the benefits in terms of allowing the site to come forward will significantly and demonstrably outweigh the harm”.
Lawley and Overdale Parish Council chairman John York told the meeting that the report “looked for sympathy for the developer’s financial plight”.
Accepting this, he said, would risk “other developers jumping on the same financial platitude bandwagon”.
Cllr Scott said: “It’s depressing and it’s probably about time local authorities’ planning committees just said ‘no’ to developers.”
The Newport North and West councillor asked committee legal advisor Ian Ross what the likely consequences of refusal would be.
Mr Ross said such a decision would go against the NPPF, leaving the authority likely to lose an appeal and be liable for costs.
Cllr Scott said: “Really the viability of a development is the developers’ problem, not ours, and it should never be.
“But I think we have got our hands tied on this one.”
Conservative councillor Veronica Fletcher, who represents Priorslee, agreed with Cllr Scott.
“It is with reluctance I have to accept what our legal advisor has said, but it’s just not right,” she said.
“Houses are really needed in the area. People have been waiting for them for nearly 20 years.”
Labour Hadley and Leegomery councillor Gemma Offland noted that the planners report cited the 2008 as a root cause of developers’ reductions in affordable housing numbers.
“Families who need the affordable housing are also suffering,” she said.
Cllr York also noted that the report originally published on the council’s online planning portal suggested LDVG was seeking to remove affordable housing altogether, but this was later corrected.
“My parish council was astounded at the content of the original report and intended a strong objection,” he said.
“Even with the new report, what confidence can we parish councils give to our electorate when such administrative errors are made?
“My parish council will not oppose the 10 per cent affordable home allocation now put forward. We do, however, object to the waste of hours of parish councillors and staff time to prepare an objection to the original report.”
The 187-home site is “phase 10” of the wider Lawley Sustainable Urban Extension – a 3,300-home project granted outline permission in 2005 that has since been approved and built in stages.
