Cheshire East moves forward to help deliver affordable homes

Cheshire East Council is moving forward with proposals to help boost the provision of genuinely affordable housing in the borough.

A new housing development framework will enable the local authority to have greater control on the type, price and forms of housing on council-owned land sold to developers for housing.

The proposed ‘development procurement framework’ will be used to help deliver much-needed homes and more affordable housing, including bungalows, which are in short supply in the borough.

This will in turn better support the needs of young workers and their families and boost Cheshire East’s economy.

The scheme, which will come before the council’s environment and regeneration overview and scrutiny committee next week, will help secure delivery of homes on council-owned land, where development is suitable and sustainable, in line with the council’s agreed Local Plan and housing allocation figures.

Any housing applications would be subject to securing approvals via the normal planning process.

Councillor Nick Mannion, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for environment and regeneration, said: “This move is good news, as one of the key issues in the borough is being able to develop the right type of housing that meets the needs of all our residents.

“Our housing framework approach is about using appropriate council-owned land to help provide much-needed homes across the borough and help deliver the housing numbers already identified and agreed in our Local Plan Strategy to 2030. Nothing more.

“The approach outlined is that if the council has a surplus site it would have the option – but not the right – to use the proposed framework to control the type, price, design and form of housing on the site, as opposed to selling it and leaving it to a developer to determine the scheme.”

Councillor Toni Fox, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for planning, said: “This is an exciting initiative by the council that aims to positively influence the delivery of housing in the borough. This means we are more likely to get the type of houses built in our borough that our communities and their families need.

“I would emphasise that any proposed scheme would only be delivered on a site that is capable of being developed, in line with the agreed Local Plan. Moreover, any scheme would need to secure the appropriate planning consents, as is normal practice. This is categorically not a mechanism for allocating more sites for housing.”