Object
Solihull Local Plan (Draft Submission) 2020
Representation ID: 14165
Received: 14/12/2020
Respondent: Hampton Road Developments Ltd
Agent: Savills
Legally compliant? Yes
Sound? No
Duty to co-operate? Yes
Does not provide developers with enough flexibility to consider the mix of housing at the planning application stage. Support the Council providing some guidance on housing mix but this should accord with the mix proposed in the HEDNA.
The HEDNA highlights the requirement for both social and affordable rent but recommends that the Council do not propose a rigid mix on the split. The housing mix should be updated and included in supporting text, rather than policy so a suitable amount of weight can be applied to the mix on a site by site basis.
The NPPF definition of affordable housing should be used.
Support recognition of the need to deliver more two and three bed homes than is set out in the Housing Needs SPD.
The use of a housing mix to guide affordable housing mix is unduly onerous if greater flexibility is not provided. Although there is reference to site circumstances, it should be given more weight within the policy that site circumstances are an important consideration. Reference to a specific mix should not be set out in the policy, rather it should be for guidance only within the supporting text. This would ensure that the policy is sufficiently justified and effective.
Criterion 13 should be deleted, as it is a duplicate of criterion 12.
It is requested that Policy P4A be amended to include reference to a requirement for social and affordable rent rather than purely social rent.
See attached documents.