Affordable housing

Affordable housing includes social rented, affordable rented and intermediate housing, provided to eligible households whose needs are not met by the market.

This Plan does not include an affordable housing policy, since the Central Lancashire Core Strategy includes a policy dedicated to this issue - Policy 7 - which sets a target of 30% affordable housing to be sought from market housing schemes, 35% from schemes in rural areas and villages, and 100% on all exception sites.

Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document

An Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document (PDF) [891KB] has been produced jointly with South Ribble and Chorley Council's to offer further guidance.

Rural Exception Affordable Housing

The Framework says that, in rural areas, local planning authorities should be responsive to local circumstances and plan housing development to reflect local needs particularly for affordable housing, including through rural exception sites. Any such housing should be located where it will enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities.

This Plan does not allocate any sites for housing development in rural areas, either within or adjacent to the villages Barton, Broughton, Goosnargh, Grimsargh, Lea Town and Woodplumpton. To do so, would contradict the settlement hierarchy established in the Central Lancashire Core Strategy, which states that development in villages will typically be small scale.

However, the Council recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances where new housing in rural areas is justified to meet the needs of local people. Proposals for new housing in rural areas should be supported by a comprehensive needs assessment of the local area. On occasions where a need for new housing is established, in accordance with the Framework and the Central Lancashire Core Strategy, opportunities for small-scale development within village boundaries to meet this need should be considered first.

Where a need is identified, then the Council will, in accordance with the Framework, consider allowing some market housing to facilitate the provision of affordable housing but this will be dependent upon robust viability evidence.

Where justified development cannot be accommodated satisfactorily within village settlements, sites adjoining the village boundaries (as shown on the Policies Map) may be considered. Such sites will be considered as Rural Exception Sites, and Policy HS4 will apply.

Rural Workers Dwellings in the Open Countryside

The normal restrictions placed on new housing provision outside existing villages described in the previous section may be overcome if an essential need can be justified in connection with agricultural purposes. However, the Council will only permit new agricultural workers dwellings where evidence is available to suggest the development is essential.

If a new dwelling is shown to be functionally essential to the operation of an existing, or proposed, appropriate rural activity, it should be situated close to existing buildings to minimise the impact on the landscape character of the open countryside.

The availability of alternative accommodation in the vicinity of the site, or in nearby settlements, will be a factor in determining planning applications where this would provide suitable accommodation.

Applications for removal of occupancy restrictions on existing agricultural workers dwellings must show that there has been a genuine change in circumstance and that there is no demand for such dwellings in the locality.

Replacement Dwellings in the Open Countryside

Guidance on the replacement of dwellings in the open countryside is contained within the Rural Development Supplementary Planning Document (PDF) [1MB] , produced jointly with South Ribble and Chorley Council's.

Given the detailed guidance and advice on replacement dwellings in the open countryside contained within the Rural Development SPD, no policies are proposed to be included in Preston's Local Plan.