Bolsover District Council planners have provisionally given the go-ahead for a residential development in Derbyshire which will unusually not need to make additional financial contributions to the area’s infrastructure – because the scheme involves purely ‘affordable’ properties and will help meet the crucial need for housing.
The council’s planning committee approved Dukeries Homes’ planning application for 21 dwellings on a 0.56hectare site, near Dahlia Avenue, in South Normanton, at a meeting on April 10, after establishing that the scheme would not be be able to afford the usual S106 financial contributions towards improving green spaces and sports facilities.
A council spokesperson stated: “On balance, it is considered that the public benefit of providing this 100per cent affordable housing scheme outweighs the limited policy conflict that would arise from there being no financial contribution to respond to the identified contributions sought or needed.
“On this basis, it is recommended that no additional financial contributions are sought from this development, other than those identified to cover the provision of off-site biodiversity features and its on-going management.”
Subsequently, Dukeries Homes will not be expected to pay £23,436 towards improving nearby green spaces and £28,560 towards improving a nearby sports building and outdoor sports facilities as was originally identified.
In addition, the council noted there has been no request from the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group for any contributions towards local health care provision and the council has also deemed Chesterfield Royal Hospital’s request for £32,995 to meet any impact to be potentially inappropriate and questioned whether this request meets the necessary legal tests for contributions.
The overall scheme will include ten two-storey, two-bedroom properties, nine two-storey, three-bedroom properties, and two flats with one bedroom each in a two-storey building.
It will also include an embankment and hedgerow on its east side because it will be located next to the M1 motorway and on its west side there are existing homes on Dahlia Avenue as well as on Primrose Close to the south-west with woodland to the north and south-east.
The planning application had attracted public objections including concerns about potential over-density with possibly 80 people living in a small area, the impact on local amenities, increased traffic, noise and light pollution, and the loss of a land buffer near to the M1 motorway.
But Derbyshire County Council’s highways authority stated the development is not expected to have any detrimental highways impact, and the National Highways organisation was satisfied the scheme will not adversely impact adjacent highways.
The district council insisted there would need to be provision for the management and maintenance of drainage and the county council raised no objections concerning a flood risk assessment, and it was satisfied with noise mitigation plans which include an existing acoustic fence, and it also feels there will be sufficient school capacity in the area.
Bolsover District Council also argued that even though there are other prospective residential sites elsewhere, medium-sized sites such as the one proposed by Dukeries Homes can make a quick and important contribution to meeting housing requirements and that a biodiversity net gain of more than 10per cent is achievable using a combination of on-site and off-site habitat creation and enhancement measures.
A council spokesperson added: “Overall, these types of developments do contribute to the council maintaining a healthy housing land supply position.”
The council also stated that the provision of additional ‘affordable housing’ to the area is welcomed and it feels there will be no significant amenity impacts that cannot be dealt with by imposing certain other conditions upon the applicant.
A council spokesperson added: “It is acknowledged that the policy requirement for infrastructure contributions is not being met for financial viability reasons, but nevertheless, the benefits of this proposal from the delivery of 100per cent affordable dwellings for which there is a demonstrable need, is considered to outweigh the normal requirements for the contributions that would otherwise be sought from a housing scheme of this scale.”
The council planning committee approved the planning application, at a meeting at the council offices at The Arc, in Clowne, subject to the signing of a legal agreement and providing the properties are all deemed to be ‘affordable housing’ and as long as there will be off-site, biodiversity mitigation measures.
‘Affordable housing’, according to the Government, includes the prospective sale or rent of homes at more affordable rates to help end the housing crisis, tackle homelessness and provide aspiring home-owners with a step onto the housing ladder.
