Shropshire Council updates planning policies for housing

The reviewed document supports self-build in Shropshire, and fine-tunes the operation of Shropshire’s nationally-acclaimed “build your own affordable home” scheme.

Over 75 rural affordable homes have been built under the scheme, with another 160 in the pipeline. This innovative self-help scheme is designed to support community sustainability, by enabling local people to remain in the rural area.

Community-led affordable housing is specifically supported in the Supplementary Planning Document, with support available through the housing enabling team for communities who are interested in pursuing their own project. Communities can also influence how developer contributions to affordable housing are spent in their area, through the Place Plan process.

The Supplementary Planning Document also introduces a new affordable housing tenure of interest to rural estates and others who provide affordable rented properties, to encourage the provision of discounted rented housing.

The reviewed Supplementary Planning Document will help builders, particularly small-scale builders, by allowing a longer period in which to pay their affordable housing contribution. The measure creates a ‘win-win’ situation, easing their cash flow while maintaining affordable housing contributions.

Shropshire Council planners will continue to keep a close eye on the viability of development, to ensure the balance between enabling market development and providing affordable housing is carefully considered and sensitive to the state of the economy.

New guidance is included on the conversion of rural buildings to housing, and the Supplementary Planning Document also updates the approach to agricultural workers’ dwellings in the light of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Councillor Mal Price, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for economic growth and prosperity, said:

“We have listened to the problems that people encounter in relation to housing development. The updated Supplementary Planning Document reflects some sensible suggestions on how planning policies can help Shropshire’s needs, and are part of our ongoing approach to managing development in the county.”