Cabinet received a report from the Planning Policy Section Head.  Councillor Sharpe introduced the report and explained the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) would become part of planning policy.  It would enable the council to provide better quality affordable housing to meet the needs of families.  The essence of the current policy was to insist on 35% affordable housing in a development.   This was compromised by the government’s insistence on viability, therefore, if developers could demonstrate that 35% was not viable then developments could go ahead with fewer affordable units.  The mechanism for delivering affordable housing was relatively recent and the council needed to ensure the policy evolved to meet the housing need.  Not all development schemes provided the accommodation needed to house people on the register. 

Councillor Sharpe referred to the recent application at Development Management Committee on Clarendon Road which would have offered studio flats when the need was for affordable small family units.  The SPD provided a way forward for the council to negotiate with developers to be able to provide affordable homes.  The new partnership with Watford Community Housing did enable the council to deliver the affordable homes.  A formal consultation process had been carried out on the document and the responses were set out in the report - Councillor Sharpe thanked those who had taken part.  At a time when government planning rules were compromising the council’s ability to deliver affordable homes through the planning process, this policy would help to counter this.

The Deputy Managing Director emphasised that the SPD was an important tool to help with delivery of affordable housing.  The criteria of 35% affordable developments still remained; the commuted sum was for exceptions.  The sums received could be used with a partner such as Hart Homes to go alongside a grant.  The commuted sums would be another addition to achieving the housing the council needed.

Councillor Bell commented that the SPD could mean more two bed family units which were flats or houses.  He referred to policy HS3 Affordable Housing of the Local Plan Core Strategy (2013) which would still remain and the other changes should go around this in acceptable circumstances.

The Mayor pointed out that provision of affordable housing had changed and associations such as Watford Community Housing had to build properties for full market rent in order to subsidise affordable and social housing.

Councillor Johnson commented that the commuted sums helped the authority to be flexible and to make the best of the chances available.  The council should ensure that it pushed for the fullest amount of the commutable sum in order to have money available to reinvest.

Cabinet thanked the planning policy team.

RESOLVED –

1.        That Cabinet approves the Supplementary Planning Document-Commuted Sums for the Provision of Affordable Housing.

2.        That Cabinet agrees that minor changes ahead of publication can be agreed by the Deputy Managing Director in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning.