A social housing provider is seeking permission to deliver a “100 per cent affordable” development in Westfield.
In an application which was validated by Rother District Council this week, Southern Housing is seeking permission to vary the conditions attached to the 39-home Westfield Down development on land to the south of the A28.
When first approved, the scheme had been set to provide 15 affordable homes. Southern Housing, which had not been the scheme’s original applicant, have since taken over the site and are seeking permission to make all 39 homes affordable by changing conditions.
The council has already approved similar proposals, agreeing for 23 of the homes to be classed as affordable rent properties with the remaining 16 to be classed as shared ownership units. The current scheme seeks to amend this split by increasing the number of affordable rent units to 25 and decreasing the number of shared ownership units to 14.
In a statement submitted as part of the application, a spokesman for Southern Housing said: “The latest evidence identifies a significant need for new affordable housing across the district. Recent figures indicate that current supply is falling below annual delivery requirements.
“The issue is of particular concern in rural areas, such as Westfield. There are currently 34 households on the housing register with a local connection to Westfield.
In order to address this shortfall, Local planning policies and guidance make provision for 100% affordable schemes. They also identify a particular requirement for AR whilst recognising the need to create balanced communities.
“The amendments will allow Southern Housing to deliver the scheme as 100 per cent affordable housing. The proposed mix includes AR and SO homes which responds to local need whilst meeting the requirement to create a balanced community.”
For further information about the proposals see application reference RR/2024/1096/P on the Rother District Council website.
