Policy H/ES: Exception sites for affordable housing

An exception site is a site that provides affordable housing in perpetuity, provided within or adjoining a rural settlement, as an exception to normal planning policy. Rural exception sites will be allowed in the Green Belt only when it can be demonstrated that non Green Belt alternative sites are not available.

are used to deliver affordable housing in perpetuity where sites would not normally be permitted for housing. They are typically located adjacent to a settlement and have not been allocated for housing within a local or

A plan prepared by a Parish Council or neighbourhood forum for a particular neighbourhood area. They must be consistent with the strategic policies in the current suite of Local Plan documents.

. The approach to rural exception sites in the current South Cambridgeshire

Short form for the Greater Cambridge Local Plan, which sets out policies to guide the future development of Greater Cambridge. It also sets out where future development will take place, and identifies land for new housing, community facilities, shops and employment. It is the key document use to determine planning applications for new development in the Greater Cambridge area.

has been very successful at delivering such sites to help meet local needs.

Rural exception sites support local communities by prioritising people with a local connection to the village concerned.

First Homes are a specific kind of discounted market sale housing and should be considered to meet the definition of ‘affordable housing’ for planning purposes. Specifically, First Homes are discounted market sale units which:

a) must be discounted by a minimum of 30% against the market value;

b) are sold to a person or persons meeting the First Homes eligibility criteria;

c) on their first sale, will have a restriction registered on the title at HM Land Registry to ensure this discount (as a percentage of current market value) and certain other restrictions are passed on at each subsequent title transfer; and,

d) after the discount has been applied, the first sale must be at a price no higher than £250,000.

exception sites have adapted this idea by focusing on

First Homes are a specific kind of discounted market sale housing and should be considered to meet the definition of ‘affordable housing’ for planning purposes. Specifically, First Homes are discounted market sale units which:

a) must be discounted by a minimum of 30% against the market value;

b) are sold to a person or persons meeting the First Homes eligibility criteria;

c) on their first sale, will have a restriction registered on the title at HM Land Registry to ensure this discount (as a percentage of current market value) and certain other restrictions are passed on at each subsequent title transfer; and,

d) after the discount has been applied, the first sale must be at a price no higher than £250,000.

to support first time buyers across the district. In both cases the scheme should be proportionate to the adjoining settlement and can include an element of market housing to support viability.

The policy will support the delivery of affordable housing, particularly in rural communities where current levels are low and new delivery is restricted by affordable housing only being required on sites of more than 10 dwellings.

The government has recently introduced the concept of a

First Homes are a specific kind of discounted market sale housing and should be considered to meet the definition of ‘affordable housing’ for planning purposes. Specifically, First Homes are discounted market sale units which:

a) must be discounted by a minimum of 30% against the market value;

b) are sold to a person or persons meeting the First Homes eligibility criteria;

c) on their first sale, will have a restriction registered on the title at HM Land Registry to ensure this discount (as a percentage of current market value) and certain other restrictions are passed on at each subsequent title transfer; and,

d) after the discount has been applied, the first sale must be at a price no higher than £250,000.

exception site and they will replace entry-level exception sites. Although,

First Homes are a specific kind of discounted market sale housing and should be considered to meet the definition of ‘affordable housing’ for planning purposes. Specifically, First Homes are discounted market sale units which:

a) must be discounted by a minimum of 30% against the market value;

b) are sold to a person or persons meeting the First Homes eligibility criteria;

c) on their first sale, will have a restriction registered on the title at HM Land Registry to ensure this discount (as a percentage of current market value) and certain other restrictions are passed on at each subsequent title transfer; and,

d) after the discount has been applied, the first sale must be at a price no higher than £250,000.

exception sites will comprise primarily

First Homes are a specific kind of discounted market sale housing and should be considered to meet the definition of ‘affordable housing’ for planning purposes. Specifically, First Homes are discounted market sale units which:

a) must be discounted by a minimum of 30% against the market value;

b) are sold to a person or persons meeting the First Homes eligibility criteria;

c) on their first sale, will have a restriction registered on the title at HM Land Registry to ensure this discount (as a percentage of current market value) and certain other restrictions are passed on at each subsequent title transfer; and,

d) after the discount has been applied, the first sale must be at a price no higher than £250,000.

they can include other affordable housing tenures where there is evidence of need.

The government’s guidance (paragraph 026) on

First Homes are a specific kind of discounted market sale housing and should be considered to meet the definition of ‘affordable housing’ for planning purposes. Specifically, First Homes are discounted market sale units which:

a) must be discounted by a minimum of 30% against the market value;

b) are sold to a person or persons meeting the First Homes eligibility criteria;

c) on their first sale, will have a restriction registered on the title at HM Land Registry to ensure this discount (as a percentage of current market value) and certain other restrictions are passed on at each subsequent title transfer; and,

d) after the discount has been applied, the first sale must be at a price no higher than £250,000.

states that “For plan making, local authorities and neighbourhood planning qualifying bodies are encouraged to set policies which specify their approach to determining the proportionality of

First Homes are a specific kind of discounted market sale housing and should be considered to meet the definition of ‘affordable housing’ for planning purposes. Specifically, First Homes are discounted market sale units which:

a) must be discounted by a minimum of 30% against the market value;

b) are sold to a person or persons meeting the First Homes eligibility criteria;

c) on their first sale, will have a restriction registered on the title at HM Land Registry to ensure this discount (as a percentage of current market value) and certain other restrictions are passed on at each subsequent title transfer; and,

d) after the discount has been applied, the first sale must be at a price no higher than £250,000.

exception site proposals, and the sorts of evidence that they might need in order to properly assess this.”

The same guidance states (paragraph 008) that local authorities can apply their own eligibility criteria such as a local connection criteria, a local income cap or key worker criteria.

The introduction of a

First Homes are a specific kind of discounted market sale housing and should be considered to meet the definition of ‘affordable housing’ for planning purposes. Specifically, First Homes are discounted market sale units which:

a) must be discounted by a minimum of 30% against the market value;

b) are sold to a person or persons meeting the First Homes eligibility criteria;

c) on their first sale, will have a restriction registered on the title at HM Land Registry to ensure this discount (as a percentage of current market value) and certain other restrictions are passed on at each subsequent title transfer; and,

d) after the discount has been applied, the first sale must be at a price no higher than £250,000.

exception site component, with locally specific criteria, to the policy will ensure the policy is complementary to requirements already set out in national planning policy but will support schemes to be more tailored to local needs within

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

.

It is important that the policy encourages rural exception sites and

First Homes are a specific kind of discounted market sale housing and should be considered to meet the definition of ‘affordable housing’ for planning purposes. Specifically, First Homes are discounted market sale units which:

a) must be discounted by a minimum of 30% against the market value;

b) are sold to a person or persons meeting the First Homes eligibility criteria;

c) on their first sale, will have a restriction registered on the title at HM Land Registry to ensure this discount (as a percentage of current market value) and certain other restrictions are passed on at each subsequent title transfer; and,

d) after the discount has been applied, the first sale must be at a price no higher than £250,000.

exception sites to work in tandem enabling schemes to come forward across all settlement sizes that address local needs but are also sympathetic to local constraints.

The First Conversation generated little response on exception sites for affordable housing but there was support for the idea of affordable housing being prioritised for people with a local connection. This is a central tenet of the rural exception site policy.

Additionally, many rural communities in South Cambridgeshire have been consulted on the principle of rural exception schemes through local housing needs surveys and these have produced a clear majority in favour of the approach.

1. No Policy - Not considered a reasonable alternative as this would restrict our ability to deliver additional affordable housing where it is most needed.

2. Apply a more restrictive approach to rural exception sites - Not considered a reasonable alternative because previous policies have been successful in bringing forward sites.

3. Apply a more laissez-faire approach to the development of exception sites - This was not identified as the preferred approach as this could lead to rural exception sites being squeezed out by

First Homes are a specific kind of discounted market sale housing and should be considered to meet the definition of ‘affordable housing’ for planning purposes. Specifically, First Homes are discounted market sale units which:

a) must be discounted by a minimum of 30% against the market value;

b) are sold to a person or persons meeting the First Homes eligibility criteria;

c) on their first sale, will have a restriction registered on the title at HM Land Registry to ensure this discount (as a percentage of current market value) and certain other restrictions are passed on at each subsequent title transfer; and,

d) after the discount has been applied, the first sale must be at a price no higher than £250,000.

exception sites, inappropriate sites coming forward and housing mixes being driven more by commercial gain than local need.

• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  Short form for the Greater Cambridge Local Plan, which sets out policies to guide the future development of Greater Cambridge. It also sets out where future development will take place, and identifies land for new housing, community facilities, shops and employment. It is the key document use to determine planning applications for new development in the Greater Cambridge area.

  : Topic paper 7: Homes

South Cambridgeshire

Short form for the Greater Cambridge Local Plan, which sets out policies to guide the future development of Greater Cambridge. It also sets out where future development will take place, and identifies land for new housing, community facilities, shops and employment. It is the key document use to determine planning applications for new development in the Greater Cambridge area.

2018

• Policy H/11: Rural Exception Site

  Housing for sale or rent for those whose needs are not met by the market (including housing that provides a subsidised route to home ownership and/or is essential for local workers). Eligibility is determined using local incomes and local house prices.

Cambridge

Short form for the Greater Cambridge Local Plan, which sets out policies to guide the future development of Greater Cambridge. It also sets out where future development will take place, and identifies land for new housing, community facilities, shops and employment. It is the key document use to determine planning applications for new development in the Greater Cambridge area.

2018 - None

Our consultation for this phase is now closed.