Spelthorne Borough Council

Housing Provision

STRATEGY

Summary

6.1

The strategy is to ensure the provision of sufficient housing to meet the allocation to Spelthorne in the draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East and also to ensure that, within the overall total, the differing housing needs of all sections of the community are met.

Relevant Objectives

To meet the Borough’s housing requirement in the Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East.

To ensure provision for housing incorporates a mix of tenure, size and type to meet local needs, including affordable housing.

18.

To encourage redevelopment of poorly located employment land for housing or to meet other development needs.

Explanation

6.2

There is strong demand for housing in Spelthorne. More housing is required to meet the needs of the existing broadly stable population. There is a particular need for more social rented housing to meet the needs of those who cannot afford to buy and also for accommodation for the elderly.

6.3

Spelthorne’s total provision for housing is set through the regional spatial strategy. The South East Plan (March 2006) required 3020 dwellings (2006-26), equivalent to 151 dwellings per annum. The draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East, July 2008, requires Spelthorne to provide at least 3320 dwellings (2006-2026), equivalent to 166 dwellings per annum. Spelthorne’s Housing Market Assessment has shown that whilst there is a need for different sizes and tenure of properties, existing residents are housed without any significant use of bed and breakfast facilities. In the Structure Plan period 1991-2006 provision in Spelthorne exceeded requirements by 640 dwellings. It has been concluded there is no ‘backlog’.

6.4

The ability of Spelthorne to take further housing has been assessed by means of housing capacity studies. The Council’s Housing Land Availability Assessment (Update, July 2008) demonstrates its ability to meet the requirement of the draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East.

6.5

Table 3 summarises the sources of housing supply which make up the figure of 3320. The latest housing trajectory is set out in the HLAA Update 2008, and will be updated in the Annual Monitoring Report. It shows the components of supply and the timescale over which it will come forward. It is envisaged that a greater proportion will come forward in the earlier part of the plan period.

Table 3 - Housing supply in comparison with draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East Provision 2009-2026

Requirement
Draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East Requirement 2006 – 2026 (20 years @ 166 dwellings per annum)	3320
Net completions 2006 – 2009	614
Remaining requirement 2009 - 2026	2706
Source of supply
Existing commitments at 1 April 2009 (outstanding permissions and sites under construction) (1)	556
Housing from small sites (less than 0.4ha) (2)	1764
Housing from large sites (greater than 0.4ha) (not identified as allocations) (3)	578
Housing Allocations in the Allocations DPD (4)	539
Uplift to Allocations from 2008 Assessment	308
Total supply (2009 -2026)	3745
Surplus of provision over Plan Period	1039

Notes:

Existing commitments as at 1 April 2009 from Spelthorne Borough Council monitoring

Housing figure based on the Housing Land Availability Assessment Update at 1 April 2008. The ‘small sites’ figure is based on trends including conversions.

Housing figure is based on the Housing Land Availability Assessment Update at 1 April 2008. The large sites figure is based on sites identified in the HLAA but not shown in the submission Allocations DPD.

The total supply from housing allocations in the submission Allocations DPD less those granted planning permission and included as commitments.

6.6

Within the overall total the form of housing provided must reflect local needs. These include a growth in smaller households, an increasing proportion of elderly people and meeting the requirements of other groups with specific needs.

6.7

The affordability of housing in Spelthorne is a significant issue. Affordable housing is social rented or ‘intermediate housing’ provided to households whose needs are not met by the market (a fuller definition is provided in Annex B to PPS3, and reproduced in the glossary at Appendix 2). This definition will be used in applying Strategic Policy SP2 and Policy HO3. The Surrey Structure Plan and draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East both have a target that 40% of all new housing should be ‘affordable’. Most new affordable housing is provided by negotiating provision within market housing schemes and the 40% figure is considered reasonable taking into account the level of housing need balanced with the need to maintain the viability of development.

6.8

Strategic Policy SP2 sets out the strategy for the provision of housing. It makes clear a commitment to meet the requirements identified in the draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East, which will include providing an appropriate housing mix in terms of tenure, size and type. A specific target for affordable housing is given.

Strategic Policy SP2: Housing Provision

The Council will ensure that provision is made for sufficient numbers of dwellings to meet the draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East requirement for Spelthorne.

Within the overall total the Council will require a mix of tenure, size and type to meet identified housing needs, including provision to meet the needs of vulnerable groups. It will seek to ensure that 40% of the total housing provision is in the form of affordable housing.

6.9

In the following sub-sections of this chapter more detailed housing policies are set out which explain how various aspects of Strategic Policy SP2 will be implemented.

DETAILED POLICIES

Providing for New Housing Development

6.10

There are no infrastructure constraints requiring housing to be phased or controlled in the rate it comes forward. There are no very large sites of many hundreds of houses which could cause particular short-term delivery issues. The Council will take a proactive approach to ensure that the housing allocation is delivered in a way that is consistent with other aspects of the Core Strategy. Policy HO1 sets out the mechanisms the Council will use to ensure the delivery of at least 3320 dwellings over the period 2006-2026 as required by Policy H1 of the draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East at an average rate of 166 dwellings per annum.

6.11

The policy identifies a range of measures including the promotion of specific sites through Allocations DPDs, producing planning briefs, encouraging housing generally on suitable sites, including mixed use schemes, using poorly located employment land, using land effectively and resisting the loss of housing.

6.12

The Allocations DPD will make a significant contribution to ensuring that, with outstanding planning permissions and other large sites identified in the housing trajectory, the Council has at least 10 years worth of developable sites. Housing sites included in any Allocations DPDs will accord with the spatial strategy and policies of this DPD.

6.13

The Council will closely monitor the provision of housing through its Annual Monitoring Report and its housing trajectory to ensure that the draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East housing requirements for the Borough are met. Where a shortfall in delivery is predicted and cannot be remedied by actions identified within Policy HO1, the contingency measures identified in Policy HO2 will be followed.

Policy HO1: Providing for New Housing Development

The Council will ensure provision is made for housing by:

promoting the development of specific sites for housing through Allocations DPDs,

producing planning briefs where appropriate as Supplementary Planning Documents, to give further encouragement to the development of allocated sites and to give additional guidance on the appropriate form development should take,

encouraging housing development, including redevelopment, infill, conversion of existing dwellings and the change of use of existing buildings to housing, on all sites suitable for that purpose taking into account other policy objectives,

encouraging the inclusion of housing in mixed use schemes where housing can be accommodated in an acceptable manner without compromising other planning objectives,

encouraging the redevelopment for housing of poorly located employment land provided the site is suitable for housing,

encouraging the redevelopment of existing areas of poor quality housing,

ensuring effective use is made of urban land for housing by applying Policy HO5 on density of development and opposing proposals that would impede development of suitable sites for housing,

opposing developments that involve a net loss of housing, unless it can be demonstrated that the benefits of the development outweigh the harm.

Contingency Strategy for Meeting Housing Provision

6.14

The Government is encouraging authorities to include a contingency strategy in their development plans showing what measures the Council would take to ensure the strategic housing requirement would still be met if actual provision were to fall below requirements. Such measures would be triggered if actual performance, measured by the housing trajectory, went outside the acceptable range by 20% or the number of dwellings on identified sites indicated that future performance was not likely to achieve the rates set out in the trajectory over the life of the Plan.

6.15

The Council will monitor progress in actual housing provision against requirements and publish results in its Annual Monitoring Report. This will include information on completions and new permissions. It will carry out annual updates of its Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) to update information on longer term prospects for sites coming forward. The SHLAA updates will provide an ‘early warning’ of new sites emerging that offer potential to contribute to housing supply and of any changes to the likelihood or timing of development on sites previously identified.

6.16

The Council is confident that the available information on potential supply, coupled with the adoption of the measures in Policy HO1, will enable sufficient housing to come forward to meet requirements. Nevertheless it has identified contingency measures in Policy HO2 that can be brought forward should a possibility emerge of provision falling below requirements. This involves more active intervention to manage housing supply within the context of this DPD, including the use of planning powers to bring forward allocated land and additional Allocations DPDs to promote the development of new larger sites, including those identified in updates of the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment.

6.17

There is no contingency to release Green Belt land for housing. The reasons for this are:

it is against national Green Belt policy which expects Green Belts to be permanent,

the evidence shows that housing requirements can be met without releasing Green Belt.

6.18

Should the draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East change in the future in a way that required Green Belt release then this DPD will need to be substantially reviewed. Such a fundamental change could not be catered for by means of a contingency in the current strategy.

Policy HO2: Contingency for Meeting Housing Provision

The Council will monitor actual and forecast provision against the requirement under the draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East through annual updates of its housing trajectory and Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA). If necessary it will:

review the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment,

use its planning powers, including compulsory purchase powers should they be needed, to ensure allocated land is brought forward for development; and

prepare Allocations DPDs to bring forward additional sites for housing in locations consistent with the spatial strategy and policies of the Plan.

Providing for Affordable Housing

6.19

Policy HO3 sets out the approach that will be used to ensure affordable housing is provided in accordance with Strategic Policy SP2. It has had regard to the impact of seeking affordable housing generally on the viability of residential developments that come forward. A general threshold of 15 or more dwellings (or 0.5ha or more) is applied and registered social landlords (RSLs) are encouraged to bring forward sites below 15 units. The Council considers it necessary to use these measures to secure 40% of all new residential development as affordable.

6.20.

Social rented and intermediate housing schemes can contribute to meeting affordable housing needs, but the policy aims to ensure that the majority of provision is social rented, reflecting the level of need for this tenure type. It also includes mechanisms to ensure affordable housing provision is maintained. Where, in exception, provision for affordable housing is made on another site it must be in addition to the requirement for that site.

Policy HO3: Affordable Housing

The Council’s target for affordable housing is that 40% of all net additional dwellings completed over the plan period, 2006-2026, should be affordable. This will be achieved by:

having regard to the circumstances of each site, negotiating for a proportion of up to 50% of housing on sites to be affordable where the development comprises 15 or more dwellings (gross) or the site is 0.5 hectares or larger irrespective of the number of dwellings. The Council will seek to maximise the contribution to affordable housing provision from each site having regard to the individual circumstances and viability, including the availability of any housing grant or other subsidy, of development on the site. Negotiation should be conducted on an ‘open book’ basis,

encouraging registered social landlords to bring forward smaller sites of one to fourteen dwellings (gross) consisting wholly of affordable housing regardless of site size.

Provision within any one scheme may include social rented and intermediate units, subject to the proportion of intermediate units not exceeding 35% of the total affordable housing component.

Where affordable housing is provided on any site the Council will seek to ensure that it is maintained in perpetuity, normally by means of a legal agreement, for the benefit of those groups requiring access to such housing. Where such a restriction is lifted, for any reason, the Council will require any subsidy to be recycled for alternative affordable housing provision. Where the Council considers a site is suitable for affordable housing and a reasonable provision could be made, planning permission will be refused if an applicant is unwilling to make such provision.

In proposals for housing development a financial contribution in lieu of provision for affordable housing will only be acceptable where on-site provision is not achievable and where equivalent provision cannot readily be provided by the developer on an alternative site.

Where, as a means of avoiding the requirement to provide affordable housing, a proposed development site is subdivided so as to be below the site size threshold, or is not developed to its full potential so as to be below the number of dwellings threshold, planning permission will be refused.

Note: This policy is based on the definition of affordable housing in PPS3 and reproduced in the glossary at Appendix 2.

Providing for Different Types of Housing

6.21

Policy HO4 sets out the mechanisms for ensuring a range of housing size and types to meet community needs. It takes account of the existing stock of some 39,500 dwellings of which 65% have three or more bedrooms.

6.22

The Council considers that the need for smaller dwellings in the Borough would best be met by requiring a high proportion of all new housing and conversions to be 1 and 2 bedroom dwellings. The figure needs to take account of the large number of existing dwellings that are extended every year by one or more bedrooms. Very small infill developments generally provide a disproportionate number of 3 and 4 bedroom dwellings. Therefore, on all developments of four or more dwellings a minimum of 80% 1 and 2 bedroom dwellings will be required. The Council’s research suggests that about two thirds of these should be 2 bedroom dwellings. Of the remaining 20% of dwellings the greatest need is for 3 bedroom dwellings because much of the demand in the Borough for 4 bedroom dwellings and larger is met by the extensions to existing properties. It is important that the mix of dwellings in any individual development contributes to the needs identified above. The only exceptions will be where the requirements for affordable housing dictate a greater mix of larger dwellings.

6.23

There is a need for up to 400 units of extra care housing in Spelthorne by 2026. Because of the care requirements such housing can best be provided in larger schemes of around 40 units. Provision will be achieved by negotiation on individual sites.

6.24

The Council will encourage the provision of dwellings that exceed the minimum disability requirements so that they are, or can easily be made, fully accessible for disabled occupiers. In practice this will mean space for easy installation of a stair lift and facilities such as bathrooms that can easily be adapted for disabled occupiers at first floor level.

Policy HO4: Housing Size and Type

The Council will ensure that the size and type of housing reflects the needs of the community by:

requiring developments, including conversions, that propose four or more dwellings to include at least 80% of their total as one or two bedroom units,

encouraging the provision of housing designed to meet the needs of older people, including the provision of 400 units of extra care housing on suitable sites over the period 2006 to 2026,

encouraging the inclusion within housing schemes of a proportion of dwellings that are capable of meeting the needs, as occupiers, of people with disabilities.

Density of Housing Development

6.25

Making efficient use of potential housing land is an important aspect in ensuring housing delivery. Higher densities mean more units can be provided on housing land but a balance needs to be struck to ensure the character of areas is not damaged by over-development.

6.26

Government guidance sets a minimum density of 30 dwellings per hectare (dph) as a national indicative minimum. It states that the density of existing development should not dictate that of new housing by requiring replication of style or form. The draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East requires an overall average density of 40dph.

6.27

The requirement for at least 80% of new housing development to be one or two bedrooms will enable more smaller dwellings to be built at higher densities. Schemes involving flats can often be successfully developed at densities in excess of those in more mixed residential schemes and the range of densities in Policy HO5. This policy lists broad density ranges appropriate for four types of area:

residential areas characterised by predominantly family housing,

higher density residential areas, including a significant proportion of flats and/or significant Employment Areas,

the centres of Ashford, Shepperton and Sunbury Cross (for the purposes of the policy this is defined by the fullest extent of the designated Shopping and Employment Areas as shown on the proposals map), and

Staines town centre (for the purposes of the policy this is defined by the fullest extent of the designated Shopping and Employment Areas as shown on the proposals map).

6.28

It is important to emphasise that the density ranges are intended to represent broad guidelines. Development will also be considered against the requirements of Policy EN1 on design and higher density development may be acceptable if it complies with the criteria in that policy, which include compatibility with the character of the area. Similarly a development within the density guidelines may nevertheless prove to be unacceptable when it is assessed against the design policy. A proposed development at a density above the guidelines would suggest that a particularly careful assessment of the scheme would be required before permission could be granted.

Policy HO5: Density of Housing Development

In considering proposals for new residential development, other than conversions of existing buildings, the Council will take account of the following density guidelines together with the requirements of Policy EN1 on design of new development:

within existing residential areas that are characterised by predominantly family housing rather than flats, new development should generally be in the range of 35 to 55 dwellings per hectare.

within higher density residential areas, including those characterised by a significant proportion of flats and those containing significant Employment Areas, new development should generally be in the range of 40 to 75 dwellings per hectare

within Ashford, Shepperton and Sunbury Cross centres new development should generally be in the range of 40 to 75 dwellings per hectare.

within Staines town centre development should generally be at or above 75 dwellings per hectare

Higher density development may be acceptable where it is demonstrated that the development complies with Policy EN1 on design, particularly in terms of its compatibility with the character of the area and is in a location that is accessible by non car-based modes of travel. Development at less than 35 dwellings per hectare will not normally be acceptable.

Note: The calculation of density in this policy is based on net dwelling density as defined in PPS3 (Annex B) – see glossary at Appendix 2.

Providing Sites for Gypsies and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople

6.29

Gypsies and Travellers and travelling showpeople have particular accommodation requirements and the commitment in Strategic Policy SP2 to meet identified housing needs includes these groups.

6.30

The South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) is undertaking a partial review of the draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East to assess the needs of Gypsies and Travellers and travelling showpeople and identify if and when additional site provision is required. Districts throughout the South East have undertaken surveys to inform the review. Spelthorne is working jointly with other North Surrey districts. There is not a problem of unauthorised sites in Spelthorne and no need to identify sites in advance of the partial review. If the Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East requires additional sites in the Borough a separate DPD would be prepared on the issue.

6.31

Policy HO6 for Gypsies and Travellers sets out the criteria for considering applications for Gypsy and Traveller sites taking account of guidance in Circular 1/2006.

Policy HO6: Sites for Gypsies and Travellers

The Council will provide for the needs of Gypsies and Travellers by:

safeguarding existing authorised sites used by Gypsies and Travellers,

making additional provision if needed.

Any proposals for new Gypsy or Traveller sites, including extensions to existing sites, will be assessed against the following criteria:

it meets an identified need,

it is reasonably accessible to local services and facilities,

it is environmentally acceptable and has no adverse visual impact,

it has satisfactory highway access to the site,

it is large enough to allow for the planned number of caravans and provide for appropriate space for circulation and parking and amenity space.

The Council will only permit the development of new or extended sites for Gypsies and Travellers in the Green Belt where it is demonstrated that very special circumstances exist.

6.32

The existing Gypsy and Traveller sites are:

Littleton Lane, Shepperton,

Watersplash Road, Shepperton,

Ponderosa, Leylands Lane, Stanwell Moor,

23 Chattern Hill Road, Ashford,

3 Chertsey Bridge Road, Shepperton.

6.33

Policy HO7 for travelling showpeople sets out the criteria for considering applications affecting the Borough’s existing sites and any new sites. The Council takes the view that the mixed use on such sites of residential and maintenance areas is not appropriate in the Green Belt particularly given the extent of commercial activity and associated buildings and scale of equipment.

Policy HO7: Sites for Travelling Showpeople

The Council will safeguard its existing sites for travelling showpeople from alternative uses and will permit additional sites where a need has been identified provided:

the development is not in the Green Belt and would not have an adverse impact on adjoining properties,

the site has safe and convenient access to the highway network,

the development would not be visually intrusive or detrimental to the appearance or character of the area.

6.34

The existing sites for travelling showpeople are:

The Orchard, Napier Road, Ashford

The Beeches, Grays Lane, Ashford,

29 Chattern Hill, Ashford,

201 Feltham Hill Road/11-15 Poplar Road, Ashford.

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