Worthing Borough Council makes change to housing policy
Worthing Borough Council is prioritising affordable rented homes over home ownership in a change to its housing policy.
Caroline Baxter, council leader and cabinet member for economy and regeneration, agreed to stop applying the requirement for at least 10 per cent of homes on major developments to be available for affordable home ownership.
Instead the council will reinstate its existing target of 75 per cent social rented homes and 25 per cent intermediate housing as the affordable homes developers are required to provide.
The change follows updates to the government’s National Planning Policy Framework, which removed the mandatory 10 per cent threshold.
The council said evidence supporting the Worthing Local Plan found that 85 per cent of affordable housing need in the area was for rented homes.
It said that in prioritising this the council could better meet the needs of people on lower incomes, especially with current pressures on housing affordability and homelessness in the area.
Shared ownership will remain an option within the 25 per cent intermediate target but the exact mix of affordable homes in new developments will continue to be negotiated with local housing needs in mind.