MEETING OF HOUSING AND SOCIAL SPC
Thursday, November 15, 2007
HEADED ITEM 3
Draft Strategy - Part V
REPLY:
Discussion paper : South Dublin County Council – Part V policy.
1.Introduction.
The Councils housing strategy is set out in accordance with the Planning & Development Act 2000 in the County Development Plan 2004-2010.
It is anticipated that supply of social/affordable/voluntary, (sav), homes in accordance with Part V of the Planning & Development Act 2000, (as amended) will form a significant portion of home delivery in the coming years. The aim of this document is to set out the Councils policy when dealing with developers on Part V supply.
- The proposed policy is set out.
- The approval procedure is identified.
- Finally, the implementation of the policy, (if adopted), is outlined.
2. Policy (PROPOSED)
In accordance with the South Dublin County Housing Strategy the policy of South Dublin County Council is to aim to achieve delivery of the required sav homes in accordance with Part V on site as part of the development which is the subject of the planning application. This is the primary basis on which all negotiations will be conducted.
The mix of social/affordable/voluntary homes and home type in each case will be decided by reference to the Housing Strategy and the current tenure mix in the relevant area.
It is an objective of the Council that Part V agreement(s) will be in place in advance of the lodging of a planning application in respect of land on which Part V is applicable.
The involvement of Voluntary Housing Associations will be welcomed in Part V supply subject to discussions and agreement with the Councils Voluntary Housing Unit.
However, as indicated in the legislation there may be extreme instances where on-site delivery is neither practicable nor desirable from South Dublin County Councils point of view.
Instances where the position at (iii) above may be acceptable in South Dublin County is where
- The development is of a scale that in the opinion of the Council the delivery of on-site homes is neither practicable nor desirable. (Larger schemes must meet Council requirements for tenure mix).
AND
- The homes being developed are not suitable for sav homes due to size and/or type, or
- The home being developed are not possible to place on the market as affordable homes due to certified cost price, or
- The homes being developed are not suitable as social homes due to certified cost price having regard to DOELG guidelines.
(It is envisaged that this clause will normally only be applicable to small infill schemes.)
Certified cost price is to mean the cost price per home calculated in accordance with the terms of the Planning Acts.
- Where a developers planning application falls within the terms of (iv) above and the developer applies to pay compensation in lieu of the Part V requirement the Councils valuer will enter into negotiations and seek to reach agreement on value with the developer and/or their agents.
- In instances where financial compensation is accepted in lieu of homes the monies will be utilised for housing purposes in the Local Electoral Area in which the site is located in order to deliver a planning/housing gain to the local community.
- Off-site provision will not normally be acceptable under Part V. The reasons for this are :
- The acceptance of same could lead to distortion in the tenure mix in both developments and/or the wider area(s).
- Administrative, legal and practical difficulties in monitoring and delivering the homes on the alternative site.
3. Approval of draft policy.
In the first instance it is proposed to present this document to the Housing & Planning SPCs, (a joint workshop was proposed at the last meeting), DRfor perusal & discussion.
The position document agreed with the SPC will then be brought to the Area Committees of the Council.
It may be necessary to return to the SPC with the input from the Area Committees.
The final document agreed with the SPC will be brought to the members of South Dublin County Council for final discussion and possible approval.
4. Implementation of Policy
The policy, if approved by the members, will be circulated to the interested parties, including the CIF and the ICSH, and will, as indicated in the introduction, form the basis of all Part V negotiations in South Dublin County.
5. Next steps.
As indicated above this document will be brought to the next meeting of the Housing SPC on 15th November 2007.
Frank Nevin
A/Director of Housing.
02 November 2007