Affordable housing case study
Above new Lidls store, Union Street, Plymouth
The site was a former car sales showroom which lay vacant for a number of years. Several attempts were made to secure planning permission for a single storey retail building but were refused for reasons which included a requirement for a building of greater height and presence on this part of Union Street.
Planning permission was granted to redevelop the site with a ground floor retail unit and 60 residential flats above, however this scheme was not financially viable. As part of the Market Recovery Action Plan, the housing enabling team worked with Affinity Sutton Housing Association to design and secure planning permission to build the 13 residential units above the retail store as affordable housing.
Enabling the development
The Council has a small housing enabling team which works with the Plymouth Housing Development Partnership (PHDP) to ‘enable’ affordable housing development projects to happen in the city. Affinity Sutton are members of the PHDP and have worked together with the housing enabling team and Lidl’s development team to deliver this affordable housing development and new retail store.
The 13 units were built using £570,000 funding from the Homes and Communities Agency and are made up of 12 well-proportioned three bedroom duplex dwellings as well as a larger three bedroom duplex dwelling.
Delivering new affordable housing
The need for new affordable housing remains extremely high in Plymouth – with registered applicants in ‘housing need’ rising from 6,000 in 2009 to about 12,000 in 2011 (actual numbers of registered Housing applicants vary on a daily basis).
All of these new dwellings are available as affordable social rented accommodation and let to those in housing need on Plymouth’s housing register. The properties were completed and ready for occupation in November 2011. Many of the new tenants now living in this scheme are working families.
One tenant has moved into the scheme from accommodation where she previously shared a room with her one year old daughter and is delighted with the area and its close proximity to shops (especially Lidl and the post office), doctors surgery, transport and amenities.
The tenant loves her new apartment which she is finding very warm and quiet and particularly likes the living area with big doors onto the large balcony. The balcony is sunny and a safe area for her daughter to play.
This successful development has delivered three key Council growth objectives:
- Providing 13 units of much needed affordable housing
- Providing new shopping facilities for local residents and on-going retail employment
- Has kept construction work and employment going in Plymouth
For further information about this example of affordable housing development or any other aspect of affordable housing development work in the city, please contact us.