New Forest District Council Logo

To clarify the procedures relating to such collaborations, and how they relate to planning rules, the council is publishing a draft guidance document for public consultation.

It is hoped that the new guidance will help speed up negotiations between developers and the council on affordable housing, add clarity and certainty to the process, and produce better value for money.

The council is inviting comments on the draft document before it is finalised and adopted by the council in the autumn.

The draft Supplementary Planning Document relates to the implementation of the affordable housing policies of the New Forest District Local Plan First Alteration (PPG3 Sites) and is called ‘The Delivery of Affordable Housing (on Development Sites) through the Planning Process’.

It is intended as a guide to landowners and developers on how the council will seek to implement its policies on affordable housing through the negotiation of planning applications.

The New Forest District Local Plan aims to provide 35% of new dwellings as affordable housing on all housing developments of 15 or more dwellings in the towns and larger villages and on all sites in the smaller villages.

“There have been many successful collaborations between councils and developers around the country, as well as here in the New Forest, with a view to providing more affordable housing,” said Cllr Peter Greenfield, NFDC’s portfolio holder for housing.

“These collaborations have provided homes for local people, and have helped to create vibrant, inclusive local communities. But it’s vital that the process is seen to be transparent, legitimate, and fair. This document, following public consultation, will clarify the rules and procedures for everyone and will help to provide more affordable homes in the future.”

The document can be viewed on the council’s web site (www.nfdc.gov.uk) or at the council’s offices across the district.

Comments should be received no later than 31st August 2005.

Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) is intended to provided detailed supporting guidance on specific policies in the New Forest District Local Plan.

This may relate to particular development sites, such as that produced for several large housing sites in the District. Alternatively, SPGs have been produced to provide guidance on particular development issues, such as landscape requirements for new developments, parking standards, or on access for disabled people.

In all cases the Local Planning Authority will have regard to the requirements of the relevant guidance when determining applications for development. Anyone considering submitting a development proposal is encouraged to familiarise themselves with any SPG which might affect their proposals.

This guidance was produced in February 2000, and supplements Policy EV-1 of the New Forest District Local Plan, which allocates 1.7 hectares of land off Everton Road, Everton for residential development.