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How does the provision of affordable housing relate to the
provision of housing within the wider market context?

Introduction

This section considers the provision of affordable housing within the wider context of the provision of housing including market housing ensuring that people have choice and access to inclusive and mixed communities.

Market housing

One of the Government’s key objectives is to provide a variety of high quality market housing. This includes addressing any shortfalls in the supply of market housing and encouraging the managed replacement of housing, where appropriate.

 

Local Planning Authorities should plan for the full range of market housing. In particular, they should take account of the need to deliver low-cost market housing as part of the housing mix.

Affordable housing

The Government is committed to providing high quality housing for people who are unable to access or afford market housing, for example, vulnerable people and key workers as well as helping people make the step from social-rented housing to home ownership…. The Government defines affordable housing as including social rented and intermediate housing.

 

In the context of creating mixed communities, Regional Spatial Strategies should set out the regional approach to addressing affordable housing needs, including the affordable housing target for the region and each housing market area.

Planning Policy Statement 3 Housing identifies the Government’s strategic housing policy objectives (paragraph 9). Web link >> These objectives focus on:

  • Delivering housing choice, both in terms of affordable and market housing
  • Delivering more affordable housing
  • Providing opportunities for home ownership
  • Creating sustainable, inclusive and mixed communities.

These objectives provide the context for local planning authorities when preparing their development plans for housing to deliver:

A mix of housing, both market and affordable, particularly in terms of tenure and price, to support a wide variety of households in all areas, both urban and rural.

In respect of achieving a mix of housing PPS3 states that:

Key characteristics of a mixed community are a variety of housing, particularly in terms of tenure and price and a mix of different households such as families with children, single person households and older people.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, in line with PPS3 requirements, the Regional Spatial Strategy sets out the regional approach to achieving a good mix of housing through the following policies:

  • POLICY H4: The provision of affordable housing;
  • POLICY H5: Housing mix; and
  • POLICY H6: Provision of sites for gypsies and travelers.

PPS3 also states that:

Based upon the findings of the Strategic Housing Market Assessment and other local evidence, Local Planning Authorities should set out in Local Development Documents:

The likely overall proportions of households that require market or affordable housing, for example, x% market housing and y% affordable housing.

The likely profile of household types requiring market housing e.g. multi-person, including families and children (x%), single persons (y%), couples (z%).

The size and type of affordable housing required.

Developers should bring forward proposals for market housing which reflect demand and the profile of households requiring market housing, in order to sustain mixed communities. Proposals for affordable housing should reflect the size and type of affordable housing required.

In planning at site level, Local Planning Authorities should ensure that the proposed mix of housing on large strategic sites reflects the proportions of households that require market or affordable housing and achieves a mix of households as well as a mix of tenure and price.

For smaller sites, the mix of housing should contribute to the creation of mixed communities having regard to the proportions of households that require market or affordable housing and the existing mix of housing in the locality.

  1. What is affordable housing?
  2. What national and regional policies are relevant to me?
  3. What national planning requirements do I need to be aware of?
  4. What regional and sub-regional strategy requirements need I be aware of?
  5. What local requirements should I consider?
  6. What will the new organisational structure of the region look like?
  7. How does the provision of affordable housing relate to the provision of housing within the wider market context?