Draft Affordable Housing SPD
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Draft Affordable Housing SPD
6.3
Representation ID: 28571
Received: 14/07/2014
Respondent: Barton Road Landowners' Group (BRLOG)
Agent: Carter Jonas
The draft SPD is deficient in not recognising amongst the list of "other forms of residential accommodation" the needs of key workers who are employed by major City employers such as the University or the Colleges. Employers face recruitment and retention difficulties in the current constrained market, with high prices and low supply of new homes. It is essential that this category of affordable housing need is also addressed in the SPD.
Section 6 of the Affordable Housing SPD consultation document relates to "other forms of residential accommodation". It references student accommodation and employment related housing. The latter in particular reflects the fact that many employers in the City will have difficulties recruiting and retaining staff due to the shortage of housing and the high costs associated with entering the market. Paragraphs 6.3 and 6.4 of the draft SPD appear to seek to limit what is in effect 'key worker housing' to large scale employment developments where some housing can be provided alongside the main (employment) development.
On behalf of the Barton Road Landowners Group (BRLOG) we would argue that the delivery of key worker housing has an important role to play on any major new housing site being brought forward, where the allocation is specifically for housing use. The BRLOG are promoting a development site for a predominantly housing scheme on the west side of Cambridge, north of Barton Road, and the BRLOG members would wish, in due course, to have the ability to consider an element of the affordable housing that could potentially come forward on that site being allocated to their own key workers. This of course is offered on the premise that the site is ultimately allocated for development in the final version of the new Local Plan, which of course will be argued elsewhere.
Pending that, the SPD should recognise the fact that a number of organisations, such as the University and the Colleges, have very significant key worker requirements, and it is logical that they will want to consider such provision on sites under their control.
