Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 19
19
Paragraph: 136
We support ensuring that the additional housing being built includes affordable and social housing.
Recommendation
We support ensuring that the additional housing being built includes affordable and social housing. There should also be support and encouragement for local authorities to deliver specialist housing, particularly for elderly and people with disabilities. The Government should create a C2R class for retirement communities to ensure clarity in the planning process. There should be a statutory obligation that Local Plans identify sites for specialist housing. We repeat our recommendation in our 2020 social housing report that the Government should publish annual net addition targets for the following tenures over the next ten years: social rent, affordable rent, intermediate rent and affordable homeownership.
Paragraph Reference:
136
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
42. The Government acknowledges our planning system needs to help ensure that we build the right type of housing for the right people. Our National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that local authorities should assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community and reflect this in planning policies. We have committed to launch a cross-Government taskforce to look at improving the choice and quality of housing for older people. 43. The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (as amended) puts uses of land and buildings into various categories known as ‘Use Classes’. It is for a local planning authority to consider into which use class a particular development may fall; whether a development for specialist housing for older people falls within C2 (Residential Institutions) or C3 (Dwellinghouse) use class will depend on the individual circumstances of the development. This will be for the local planning authority to determine on a case-by-case basis. 44. The Government already publishes annual statistics on affordable housing supply in England. The Government is committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing and are investing over £11.5bn in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This is expected to leverage £35 billion in private investment. This builds upon the success of our £9bn Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme, running to 2023, which will deliver up to approximately 250,000 new affordable homes should economic circumstances allow. 45. In addition, the Bill makes changes to self and custom build housing and policy will continue to encourage housebuilding on small sites through local SMEs and specialist builders, helping to build a more diverse and resilient housebuilding sector utilising a local workforce.