Policy information sourced from Newham Local Plan 2018

H2 Affordable Housing

Proposals that address the following strategic principles, spatial strategy and design, technical and management criteria will be supported:

  • Strategic Principles and Spatial Strategy:
    • The need to ensure that 50% of the number of all new homes built over the plan period are affordable units;
    • The need to ensure that affordability is not delivered at the expense of quality, housing mix, or through size minimisation;
    • The requirement that, subject to the appropriate mix considerations within Policy H1 3a, developments or redevelopments on individual sites with capacity for 10 units or more, provide either:
      • Between 35-50% of the number of proposed units as affordable housing comprising a tenure mix of 60% social housing and 40% intermediate homes; or
      • within Canning Town and Custom House Regeneration Area a tenure mix of 65% of the number of proposed units as market housing and 35% affordable housing, evenly split between social housing and intermediate homes for all development sites identified for residential use; and
    • Exceptionally, consider off site provision or payment in lieu where the Council considers that on site provision is inappropriate or undeliverable with regard to site conditions/ features or local context, (including tenure mix) and provided that it would result in the ability to secure a higher level of affordable housing provision.
  • Design and Technical Criteria:
    • Proposals delivering below 50% of the total units as affordable housing and/or that do not meet the required tenure split, are required to be accompanied by a detailed viability appraisal with Benchmark Land Value that relies on an “EUV plus” (EUV+) approach; or
    • Within the Canning Town and Custom House (CTCH) Regeneration Area (as shown in S4) proposals delivering below 35% of the total units as affordable housing are required to be accompanied by a detailed viability appraisal with Benchmark Land Value that relies on an “EUV plus” (EUV+) approach; and
    • Where Build to Rent (PRS) is proposed, dual viability assessments are required that incorporate viability testing that set outs outcomes in relation to ‘Build for Rent’ and ‘Build for Sale’ approaches and the subsequent impact upon the delivery of affordable housing. Where it is demonstrated that a build to rent approach will deliver less affordable housing in terms of a capital subsidy, a revenue subsidy may be considered as an appropriate alternative.

For more information please see the Local Plan 2018