Agenda item

Affordable Housing Supply in Cambridge

 

The City Council's Vision for Cambridge as One Cambridge Fair for All is one in which an affordable local home close to jobs and good neighbourhood facilities is available to all regardless of income or tenure. To achieve our aim for a City with mixed and balanced communities where prosperity is shared, it is vital that developers contribute their fair share toward meeting housing needs and the cost of community infrastructure.

 

This Council notes that recent changes in the national planning framework by the Liberal Democrat and Tory coalition government will seriously impact our ability to deliver our affordable housing requirements through the planning process. This will worsen the housing affordability crisis in Cambridge which is leading to many low and middle income residents being priced out of housing across market sale, social and private rental sectors.  It will also transfer the cost of meeting vital neighbourhood infrastructure such as community, play and sport facilities and education from developers of a significant number of new homes to the Council and existing residents.

 

In particular this Council condemns:

 

i. The Small Sites Exemption announcement on 1 December 2014 by the Tory Minister for Housing and Planning whereby affordable housing and other S106 contributions cannot be sought on sites of 10 units and under with a maximum combined floor space of less than 1000 sq metres.  In Cambridge small sites play a key role in meeting our housing need and the council's own research for the draft new Local Plan has shown that viability is not related to site size. It is estimated that this change alone will lead to a loss of around 200 new affordable homes over the next decade in the City, and an ongoing and cumulative financial loss of up to £1/2 million a year for community infrastructure.

 

ii. The Vacant Building Credit introduced on 28 November 2014 by the Liberal Democrats and Tory government whereby affordable housing contributions can only be sought on any increase in floors pace where buildings are brought back into use or replaced. In a city with a tight urban boundary relying on the development of a high number of brownfield sites, this will have a significant and damaging impact on our ability to deliver affordable housing on many sites coming forward.

 

This Council further notes that Cambridge has a strong property and development sector, so  these are wholly unnecessary developer give always at a high community cost and that the changes are  perverse is that they reverse the normal presumption that planning obligations should be applied unless developers can prove an impact on viability severe enough to justify removal or change. 

 

The Council regrets the failure by the Liberal Democrats and Tories in government to deliver on their pledges for housing, with completions running far below the levels of the previous Labour government and, in particular, its failure to deliver new social housing at social rent levels whilst causing a significant decrease in existing social housing stock through its revitalisation of Right to Buy.

 

The Council acknowledges, however, that the latest planning changes have met with almost universal condemnation from councils across the political spectrum, and it resolves to work through the Local Government Association and with other councils to seek their reversal by government.

Councillor Price proposed and Councillor Blencowe seconded the following motion

 

Affordable Housing Supply in Cambridge

 

The City Council's Vision for Cambridge as One Cambridge Fair for All is one in which an affordable local home close to jobs and good neighbourhood facilities is available to all regardless of income or tenure. To achieve our aim for a City with mixed and balanced communities where prosperity is shared, it is vital that developers contribute their fair share toward meeting housing needs and the cost of community infrastructure.

 

This Council notes that recent changes in the national planning framework by the Liberal Democrat and Tory coalition government will seriously impact our ability to deliver our affordable housing requirements through the planning process. This will worsen the housing affordability crisis in Cambridge which is leading to many low and middle income residents being priced out of housing across market sale, social and private rental sectors.  It will also transfer the cost of meeting vital neighbourhood infrastructure such as community, play and sport facilities and education from developers of a significant number of new homes to the Council and existing residents.

 

In particular this Council condemns:

 

i. The Small Sites Exemption announcement on 1 December 2014 by the Tory Minister for Housing and Planning whereby affordable housing and other S106 contributions cannot be sought on sites of 10 units and under with a maximum combined floor space of less than 1000 sq metres.  In Cambridge small sites play a key role in meeting our housing need and the council's own research for the draft new Local Plan has shown that viability is not related to site size. It is estimated that this change alone will lead to a loss of around 200 new affordable homes over the next decade in the City, and an ongoing and cumulative financial loss of up to £1/2 million a year for community infrastructure.

 

ii. The Vacant Building Credit introduced on 28 November 2014 by the Liberal Democrats and Tory government whereby affordable housing contributions can only be sought on any increase in floors pace where buildings are brought back into use or replaced. In a city with a tight urban boundary relying on the development of a high number of brownfield sites, this will have a significant and damaging impact on our ability to deliver affordable housing on many sites coming forward.

 

This Council further notes that Cambridge has a strong property and development sector, so  these are wholly unnecessary developer give always at a high community cost and that the changes are  perverse is that they reverse the normal presumption that planning obligations should be applied unless developers can prove an impact on viability severe enough to justify removal or change. 

 

The Council regrets the failure by the Liberal Democrats and Tories in government to deliver on their pledges for housing, with completions running far below the levels of the previous Labour government and, in particular, its failure to deliver new social housing at social rent levels whilst causing a significant decrease in existing social housing stock through its revitalisation of Right to Buy.

 

The Council acknowledges, however, that the latest planning changes have met with almost universal condemnation from councils across the political spectrum, and it resolves to work through the Local Government Association and with other councils to seek their reversal by government.

 

Councillor Smart proposed and Councillor Blackhurst seconded the following amendment to the motion:

 

The City Council’s Vision for Cambridge as One Cambridge Fair for All is one in which an affordable local home close to jobs and good neighbourhood facilities is available to all regardless of income or tenure.  To achieve our aim for a City with mixed and balanced communities where prosperity is shared, it is vital that developers contribute their fair share towards meeting housing needs and the cost of community infrastructure.

 

The Council notes that recent changes in the national planning framework will seriously impact our ability to deliver affordable housing requirements through the planning process.  It will also transfer the cost of meeting vital neighbourhood infrastructure from developers to residents.

 

In particular this Council condemns

1.  The Small Sites Exemption whereby affordable housing and other S106 contributions cannot be sought on small sites of 10 units and under with a maximum combined floor space of less than 1000 sq metres.

 

2.  The Vacant Building Credit whereby affordable housing contributions can only be sought on any increase in floor space where buildings are brought back into use or replaced.

 

The Council further notes that Cambridge has a strong property and development sector so these are wholly unnecessary developer give-aways.

 

The Council acknowledges, however, that the latest planning changes have met with almost universal condemnation from councils across the political spectrum and it resolves to work through the Local Government Association and with other councils to seek their reversal by government.

 

On a show of hands the amendment was lost by 13 votes to 23.

 

Resolved (by 23 votes to 0, with 13 Abstentions) that:

 

The City Council's Vision for Cambridge as One Cambridge Fair for All is one in which an affordable local home close to jobs and good neighbourhood facilities is available to all regardless of income or tenure. To achieve our aim for a City with mixed and balanced communities where prosperity is shared, it is vital that developers contribute their fair share toward meeting housing needs and the cost of community infrastructure.

 

This Council notes that recent changes in the national planning framework by the Liberal Democrat and Tory coalition government will seriously impact our ability to deliver our affordable housing requirements through the planning process. This will worsen the housing affordability crisis in Cambridge which is leading to many low and middle income residents being priced out of housing across market sale, social and private rental sectors.  It will also transfer the cost of meeting vital neighbourhood infrastructure such as community, play and sport facilities and education from developers of a significant number of new homes to the Council and existing residents.

 

In particular this Council condemns:

 

i. The Small Sites Exemption announcement on 1 December 2014 by the Tory Minister for Housing and Planning whereby affordable housing and other S106 contributions cannot be sought on sites of 10 units and under with a maximum combined floor space of less than 1000 sq metres.  In Cambridge small sites play a key role in meeting our housing need and the council's own research for the draft new Local Plan has shown that viability is not related to site size. It is estimated that this change alone will lead to a loss of around 200 new affordable homes over the next decade in the City, and an ongoing and cumulative financial loss of up to £1/2 million a year for community infrastructure.

 

ii. The Vacant Building Credit introduced on 28 November 2014 by the Liberal Democrats and Tory government whereby affordable housing contributions can only be sought on any increase in floors pace where buildings are brought back into use or replaced. In a city with a tight urban boundary relying on the development of a high number of brownfield sites, this will have a significant and damaging impact on our ability to deliver affordable housing on many sites coming forward.

 

This Council further notes that Cambridge has a strong property and development sector, so  these are wholly unnecessary developer give always at a high community cost and that the changes are  perverse is that they reverse the normal presumption that planning obligations should be applied unless developers can prove an impact on viability severe enough to justify removal or change. 

 

The Council regrets the failure by the Liberal Democrats and Tories in government to deliver on their pledges for housing, with completions running far below the levels of the previous Labour government and, in particular, its failure to deliver new social housing at social rent levels whilst causing a significant decrease in existing social housing stock through its revitalisation of Right to Buy.

 

The Council acknowledges, however, that the latest planning changes have met with almost universal condemnation from councils across the political spectrum, and it resolves to work through the Local Government Association and with other councils to seek their reversal by government