Policy information sourced from Newham Local Plan 2018

H3 Specialist Accommodation Needs

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

  • Strategic Principles:
    • An overall managed delivery of housing mix will be required that ensures that the local and strategic needs of all types of households are considered and that appropriate forms of accommodation are provided in the right locations, where this need has been clearly demonstrated.
    • Purpose-built student accommodation should be provided in a proportionate manner to conventional housing, reflecting strategic and local need;
    • Older people’s housing and specialist provision for other vulnerable people (falling into Use Class C2) will be protected as community facilities/social infrastructure in accordance with policy INF8;
    • New specialist (Use Class C2) and sui generis nightly-stay housing will be directed towards local need; and
    • The need to deliver temporary accommodation, particularly in the form of modular housing as a meanwhile use, making use of sites identified as suitable for residential through a site allocation, is acknowledged.
  • Spatial Strategy:
    • Accommodation should be appropriately located in terms of the achievement of mixed and balanced communities and the ability to meet the needs of its occupants including via the provision of adequate transport and supporting facilities;
    • Large and small HMOs should be purpose-built or converted from premises other than family-sized dwellings, subject to policies H1, H3, and H4;
    • New student housing will be directed to the town centres of Stratford and Canning Town and existing campus developments within the Borough;
    • Larger specialist residential accommodation (comprising six or more bed spaces) catering to older adults or persons with care needs should:
      • Be directed to town centres and those sections of Key Movement Corridors within 400m of a Local Centre or 800m of a Town Centre, unless specific care needs / vulnerabilities justify an alternative location; and
      • Be within 800m of relevant supporting facilities (e.g. specialist healthcare or social/ leisure opportunities), if appropriate, in relation to identified needs;
    • Older people’s housing (falling outside Use Class C2) should be delivered as part of the housing mix (and sit comfortably with conventional housing) on Strategic Sites;
    • Purpose built build to rent HMOs, and otherwise policy-compliant conventional HMO conversions should be directed to Town and Local Centres and along Key Movement Corridors, where compatible with other policies;
    • Nightly-stay hostels comprising 25 or more bed spaces should be located in town centres or along those sections of Key Movement Corridors within 800m of town centres. Nightly-stay hostels should also be located within 800m of relevant supporting facilities (e.g. specialist healthcare or social/leisure opportunities). Where barriers to Town Centre accessibility exist within an 800m catchment, proposals will be considered on a case by case basis; and
    • The need to avoid creating or exacerbating cumulative impact hotspots / clusters as defined in policies SP9.
  • Design and Technical Criteria:
    • The need to ensure that the amenities or unique characteristics of the existing neighbourhood are protected and enhanced;
    • Proposals for housing other than conventional single-family housing:
      • Should include an appropriately detailed and resourced management plan demonstrating the residential population mix and other management practices that minimise safeguarding risks, maximise opportunities to create and sustain social networks and access appropriate support, and ensures that the development is neighbourly as defined in policy SP8;
      • Demonstrate the achievement of one of the following quality standards, where applicable:
        • Newham and Pan-London Private Sector Rental Licensing benchmark criteria (for mainstream HMOs and other specialist sui generis multiple-occupancy housing);
        • Care Quality Commission criteria (for Class C2 uses) or any subsequent updates or replacements;
        • Pan-London quality benchmark for temporary (nightly stay) hostels (‘Setting the Standard II’); and
      • In the case of accommodation for (non-nomadic) Gypsies and Travellers that fall outside of the PPTS definition, quality standards should be agreed in consultation with representatives of the local gypsy, traveller and travelling showpeople community;
    • Demonstrate proportionality in the provision of student accommodation relative to conventional housing in relation to the following:
      • The ratio of Newham’s London Plan housing target to the maximum student housing requirement applied equivalently to the borough housing target derived from the London Plan;
      • The quantum and location of recent delivery of conventional housing;
      • The London-wide planning requirement for 26-33% of student accommodation to be purpose-built, as identified by the Mayor of London’s Academic Forum; and
      • Whether the development is part of a wider local campus development increasing local need.; and
    • The need for new specialist (Use Class C2) and sui generis nightly stay housing to be assessed having regard to the IDP and through advice from the relevant LBN service areas concerning additional local need. Occupancy from residents from outside of Newham should not on average comprise more than 33% of total residents.

For more information please see the Local Plan 2018