Object

Solihull Local Plan (Draft Submission) 2020

Representation ID: 10824

Received: 13/12/2020

Respondent: Mr Gary Blyth

Legally compliant? Yes

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? No

Representation Summary:

The proposed sites of BL2 and BL3 will not provide "affordable Housing" given that the average salary in Solihull is approximately £30,000 and the house price for these developments is £277,000. Therefore, these houses are 9 times the amount of the average salary for the borough meaning the vast majority of local people will not be able to get mortgages to purchase one thus denying them the chance to get on the housing ladder. This inevitably leads to more affluent people buying these as second homes and renting them out.

Change suggested by respondent:

Ensure these houses cannot be purchased as a second home and priority is given to first-time buyers.
Provide a larger percentage of these houses to be available for rent at a council regulated, rental value that takes into consideration the local average salary.

Full text:

The proposed sites of BL2 and BL3 will not provide "affordable Housing" given that the average salary in Solihull is approximately £30,000 and the house price for these developments is £277,000. Therefore, these houses are 9 times the amount of the average salary for the borough meaning the vast majority of local people will not be able to get mortgages to purchase one thus denying them the chance to get on the housing ladder. This inevitably leads to more affluent people buying these as second homes and renting them out.