Policy information sourced from the Havering Local Plan

4 Affordable housing

Havering residents should have access to high quality, affordable new homes and the Council will seek to maximise affordable housing provision from development proposals. All developments of 10 or more dwellings or residential developments with a site area of more than 1,000 sq m are required to provide at least 35% affordable housing based on habitable rooms (gross). Residential development on public sector land where there is no portfolio agreement with the Mayor or on industrial sites where the scheme would result in a net loss of industrial capacity will be required to provide 50% affordable housing.

Proposals which do not meet the 35% or 50% thresholds set out above, or require public subsidy to do so, will be required to submit a detailed viability assessment. The Council will also apply a review mechanism in order to ensure that the maximum affordable housing contributions is secured if viability improves over time.

Proposals that meet or exceed the 35% or 50% thresholds without public subsidy are not required to submit viability information. Such applications will be subject to an early review mechanism, but this will only be triggered if an agreed level of progress is not made within two years of permission being granted.

The Council will strongly resist proposals brought forward that do not meet the requirements of affordable housing in circumstances where the viability of the scheme has been compromised by unreasonably high acquisition or design costs.

Development proposals will be required to deliver a tenure mix of 70% social/affordable rent and 30% intermediate provision.

The Council’s priority is for affordable housing to be provided on-site. Where it can be robustly demonstrated to the Council’s satisfaction that this is not possible, or appropriate, it may be acceptable to make off-site provision. In these circumstances the developer will be required to identify and secure a donor site. Only when it can be demonstrated to the Council’s satisfaction that a site cannot be identified will a cash in lieu payment to the Council be considered.

For more information please see the Havering Local Plan