Viability concerns have seen plans for affordable housing and a play area cut from a planned development on the edge of Chatteris.
A proposed housing development on the edge of Chatteris will no longer include affordable homes or a play area. Fenland District Council agreed to cut the requirements from the project due to concerns the project would be unviable otherwise.
Last year the authority approved outline plans to build up to 80 homes on land to the east of The Elms, with 20 per cent of the homes due to be made available as affordable housing. The land is owned by Fenland Futures Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the district council which aims to deliver new housing projects in the area.
However, a new application was submitted to the district council to remove the requirement to provide affordable housing. It was also proposed to cut the plans for a play area, with a £67,000 contribution proposed instead to upgrade the play area at the Wenny Recreation Ground.
The application also asked to remove the condition requiring a second car access to the development from the south, and to instead only provide a cycleway/footpath link.
Officers told councillors at a planning committee meeting this week (December 10) that an independent review of the viability assessment had confirmed the proposed development would be “unviable” even without the affordable housing and financial contributions.
They said: “On this basis officers accept removal of these obligations, whilst regrettable, is justified to ensure the site’s delivery.”
‘It is regrettable that we cannot deliver affordable home’
John Mason, representative of the developer, explained there had been a number of “key changes” that had led to the request to change the plans. He said: “Firstly, the site is at risk of surface water flooding. The outline application included limited detail on how surface water could be safely managed without increasing flood risk elsewhere.
“On top of this, updates to the Environment Agency’s flood map to account for climate change now suggest that the site is more at risk than previously thought.
“As a result we propose a cut and fill exercise to raise some elements of the site and lower some others, ensuring that new homes are protected from flooding and that water can be directed out of the site to the east.
“This reduced the developable area and increased engineering costs. Only 54 homes can now be delivered instead of 80 and we cannot provide any affordable housing.
“This change has been subject to robust scrutiny with your officers and third party consultants, while there are some disagreements over the exact construction costs, all parties agree that the scheme will not be viable if it provides affordable housing and consequently will not be able to proceed.
“Whilst it is regrettable that the site cannot deliver affordable homes, the site will continue to play an important part in delivering housing, open space, and pedestrian and cycle connections in the district.”
‘Once in lifetime opportunity to resolve flooding issues nearby’
Councillor Ian Benney urged the planning committee to support the changes, as he said the development is needed to help resolve existing flooding issues for people living in The Elms. He told the meeting that he had previously been told that the only way to fix the existing flooding issues would be to build on this site. He said: “This is a once in a lifetime chance we have got to fix those flooding issues in The Elms.
“As a councillor you can be unpopular for building stuff, you can be unpopular for a lot of things, but fixing a situation where people’s houses get flooded is a vital part of our job, this is what we should be doing.”
Cllr Benney acknowledged that the changes would result in a loss of planned affordable housing, but said he believed this would be a “price worth paying” to solve the flooding problems. Councillor David Connor said he had been “really disappointed” when he first read about the changes proposed. He said he had a “clearer” view on the situation now, and voiced support for the development if it would help resolve flooding issues for nearby homes.
However, he added that the £67,000 proposed contribution towards parks in the area was “a really frugal amount to spend on extra play equipment”. Officers explained that this request was based on funding the parks team at the district council had been looking for. They also highlighted that the issue with the proposed development is its viability.
Councillor Charlie Marks said the £67,000 would be a “drop in the ocean”. He said he was also concerned about the loss of social housing, but recognised the development would offer other “community benefits” through the drainage proposed on site.
When a decision was put to a vote the committee agreed to approve the changes. The district council is now expected to consider a detailed application for plans to build 54 homes at the site.
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