Affordable Housing SPD
(4)Design of Affordable Housing
The Council is committed to ensuring that all new housing is built to a high standard of design so that communities, both now and in the future, will be stable and healthy whilst living in clean, safe and sustainable environments. All schemes will need to comply with Local Plan policies addressing design, most notably policies SC0, BE1, and BE2. The Local Plan also explains the need to take account of Building for Life 12 and the Garden Towns and Suburbs guidance in major schemes.
Integration of Market and Affordable Homes
In designing a housing development scheme, it is important that the scheme is designed as a whole, with both the market and the affordable homes together, rather than as two separate schemes. This is so that the principles of a safe and sustainable development, in terms of layout and orientation, can be applied to both elements of the scheme. If the two elements of the scheme are designed independently, there may be insufficient regard to the effects of the design and layout of one part of the scheme upon the other.
The Council considers that in order to ensure the creation of mixed and integrated communities, the affordable housing should not be visually distinguishable from the market housing in terms of build quality, materials, details, levels of amenity space and privacy.
The affordable homes should not generally be restricted to one part of the site, particularly in larger schemes where they should be distributed evenly across the site, a process known as "pepper potting". Small clusters spread across the site are preferred. Planning applications should include plans which identify the location of the affordable homes.
Environmental impacts of housing
All development impacts the environment both during construction and once occupied. This Council has recognised that there is a Climate Emergency and that all activity taking place within the District should be aware of, and respond to, this.
It is strongly encouraged that all development reduces its carbon footprint to as little as possible, and the Council itself is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2025. Developers should consider the volume of embedded carbon within the fabric and construction methods, understanding that the choices of construction materials and methods can significantly impact on the environmental sustainability of a home. Consideration should also be made to the future impact of the dwelling, its production method and efficacy in retaining and storing heat and energy to limit environmental impact, and future occupant's utilities bills. Council officers would be pleased to discuss these matters further, including examples of best practice within the District and elsewhere.
A future Development Plan Document will be produced to embed these principles into the development process.
Space standards
The Council has not yet adopted spatial standards for the development of new housing. As detailed elsewhere within this SPD, there should be no visible difference between the market and affordable housing provided on a site, and this extends to the dimensions of the dwelling, car parking provision the dwelling's associated amenity space.