HOUSING WHITE PAPER Starter homes will not be a mandatory part of new housing developments, according to the Housing White Paper released today.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has watered down plans for affordable homes for sale while re-affirming its commitment to the policy.
It said that “rather than a mandatory requirement for starter homes, we intend to amend the NPPF [National Planning Policy Framework] to introduce a clear policy expectation that housing sites deliver a minimum of 10% affordable home ownership units”.
The DCLG added that it would be up to authorities and developers to deliver an appropriate level of starter homes alongside other affordable home ownership and affordable tenure options.
Though this essentially means that starter homes do not have to be included on sites, the DCLG will clarify in the NPPF that more brownfield land be released for schemes with higher amounts of starter homes.
“Any proposal on employment land that has been vacant, unused or unviable for a period of five years, and is not a strategic employment site, should be considered favourably for starter home led development,” it said.
The period that a home would have to remain “discounted” was extended to 15 years.
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