Policy information sourced from the West Horsley Neighbourhood Plan

WH5: Rural Exception Housing

Proposals for small scale affordable housing developments adjoining the village settlement boundaries will be supported, provided:

  • Where open market housing is proposed, the scheme provides no more than the minimum number of open market dwellings necessary to ensure the delivery of affordable housing as part of the same development proposal, to be demonstrated by a viability appraisal of the full scheme;
  • Where open market housing is proposed, it shall in any event comprise no more than 30% of the total number of dwellings and it shall comprise only smaller dwellings suited to new households of local origin wishing to gain access to housing for the first time and/or meeting the needs of older people from the local community wishing to downsize;
  • The scheme design maintains the open character of the Green Belt in terms of its scale, character and visual relationship with the settlement;
  • The affordable homes will contribute to meeting the identified affordable housing needs of people with a local connection (see below) to the Parish within which the scheme is located, whereby need is demonstrated by an up to date Housing Need Study. People allocated an affordable home will meet the criteria for eligibility for affordable housing set out in the Council’s published Housing Allocations Scheme for rented or low-cost home ownership housing as appropriate; and,
  • The initial and future occupation of all affordable homes will be controlled by means of a Planning Obligation to ensure that each home remains as affordable housing for people with a local connection in perpetuity, whereby a local connection is defined by people with a demonstrable connection to the village thus:
    • The occupants currently live in the village; and/or
    • The occupants have immediate family in the village (immediate is parents and/or children); and/or
    • The occupants are employed in the village and have been for a minimum of three years.
    • Should future vacancies arise, the same criteria will be required.

In the event of a vacancy arising in an affordable home and there is no household that meets the criteria of this policy, then the definition of local connection will be extended to the adjacent Parishes and then to people in housing need in the wider local area.

Where community groups have been established, whether on rural exception sites or within the settlement boundary, due weight will be given to their proposals providing they meet national and local criteria for community led housing.

For more information please see the Neighbourhood Plan