Bid to reduce affordable housing element of plan for 139 houses in Kirton

Boston Borough Council planning committee will be asked to accept proposals from the developer which would allow the amount of affordable housing to be offered as part of the scheme to be substantially reduced.

The scheme from developers Ashwood Homes was originally agreed in September 2019 with an affordable housing allocation of 20%.

The scheme is part of a three phase development which would provide a total of 312 properties.

In March, the developers approached the council, a report to next week’s committee says, to discuss “the viability of the scheme, owing to experiences encountered during phase 1 which is now well underway, in particular the costs around the de-watering of the site”, along with the economic uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report states that following dialogue with the applicant and its advisors, council offices agreed that the “development cannot support the policy compliant position previously presented, whilst still allowing a viable development to come forward”.

It says the revised position for the site “is to now provide nine affordable housing units (6.47% contribution comprising six rented and three shared ownership properties) and the full education contribution” of £430,531.

Recommending approval with the amended conditions, the report concludes “officers consider that the proposals are in accordance with the development plan when taken as a whole, and that significant positive weight should be attached to the provision of housing on this allocated site”.