38 new homes to be built in Warsash despite plans contradicting council policies

Fareham Borough Council’s planning committee met to determine two planning applications, submitted by Land and Partners Ltd, for the same site west of Lockswood Road in Warsash.

The first application, which was approved unanimously, proposed 27 homes of mixed types, sizes and tenures and would provide a policy compliant 40 per cent affordable housing.

SEE ALSO: Future of Elegance strip club in Southsea to be decided by Portsmouth City Council next week

Another application, submitted by the same applicant, proposed 11 self or custom-building homes with no affordable housing provision.

Affordable housing refers to properties normally let at 80 per cent of the market value.

The application’s viability assessment, which tests the financial viability of a proposed development, concluded the applicant ‘cannot adequately provide the required affordable housing contribution’.

It was noted in council documents that the applicant originally offered a financial contribution of £142,336 which was withdrawn after the number of dwellings was reduced from 12 to 11 to retain an ecological habitat on site.

Councillor Ian Bastable said: ‘My understanding is that the viability assessment on this one has said that there can’t be affordable housing yet of course what we saw earlier on in our agenda is that it is possible to viably build on this site and support affordable housing.

‘I don’t understand how the viability assessment is valid on this application if previously we’ve shown we can build on this site and be compliant with our affordable housing policies.

‘Yes I could provide a viability assessment which shows it’s not viable to provide affordable housing or I could have used another one and built something different so therefore I don’t think it’s in agreement with that policy on affordable housing and for that reason I’m minded to refuse this application.’

Council officers pointed out that while the development does not fully satisfy the council’s affordable housing policy, the applicant did provide a viability assessment that was independently assessed by a planning consultancy.

Councillor Nick Walker, chairman of the planning committee added: ‘Both applications meet our policy requirements, we have a policy on custom and self build and we have one for regular housing.

‘We can’t start saying we like this one but we don’t like this one, it’s two separate applications.’