Councillors on Reigate & Banstead Borough Council have backed a Green Party motion calling for more socially rented homes to be built in the borough.
The motion, discussed at the full council meeting last night (Thursday) called on the Government to increase financial support to ensure enough socially rented homes are delivered. There should be mandatory social rented targets for councils, separate from targets for other forms of affordable housing [meaning bought homes, as opposed to rented, and those at higher rents].
The motion was amended to remove the reference to separate town centre plans and then passed by most Councillors.
Cllr Paul Chandler, who proposed the motion, said: “Many people simply cannot afford to rent privately in this borough so more genuinely affordable social rented homes are needed.”
Meanwhile, the Greens want the target for new homes as a whole to be reduced, with social rented properties forming a bigger proportion of the total. As it stands, RBBC aims to increase its target of 460 homes a year to 1264 homes a year – 175% higher than the current target
The issue has arisen because the government’s National Planning Policy Framework (currently under consultation) proposes to change the way that local housing targets are calculated and to relax the protection to the Green Belt, calling some of it ‘Grey Belt’.
Cllr Chandler described this approach as “flawed”, saying: “This presents a serious threat to the communities and character of our towns and villages. The council could be faced with the unpalatable choice between increasing densities and high-rise blocks in town centres or having to encroach into the Green Belt.”
As a result of the motion the council will ask the government to acknowledge that the numbers of houses that can be delivered are restricted by both the Green Belt and the need for sensitive urban planning.
Cllr Chandler explained: “Councils should not simply throw new homes up anywhere, solely to meet targets. We need to carry out an urban capacity study to identify housing sites – and to make sure that we also plan for appropriate town centre infrastructure (including community facilities, arts and culture spaces, transport, shops and business premises).”
The motion also called on the council to produce plans, in consultation with the public, for each of the borough’s main towns – Redhill, Horley, Reigate and Banstead – to identify where new homes should be built.
Cllr McKenna added: “Our much-loved Green Belt land should not be built on until all other options have been considered, including underused or derelict land. We need a vision for well-designed development of our area that does not damage the towns’ character.”
Referring to “simplistic” misconceptions that the housing crisis is due to the planning system blocking development, he said the real reason was 40-plus years of council homes being sold off by both main parties.
“The idea was to get more people into owner occupation, but many people have been unable to jump onto this bandwagon due to the huge gap between prices and earnings. At the same time there has been a massive expansion of the private rented sector. So going along with higher housing targets, weakening the planning system to build still more houses, will not deliver affordable housing or increase the chances of people owning their own home.”
Cllr, Essex seconded the motion. He urged the Council to, “Agree to call on the government to properly finance the affordable homes we need rather than just expecting the planning system to take up the slack, especially as in the current system allows developers to avoid providing the affordable homes we need – so we are not forced locally to trade-off the countryside we wish to protect against the affordable housing we need to provide.”
Cllr Essex, also urged the Council to still take forward the spirit of what the motion called for in proactively planning for our town centres, to identifies sites for community facilities and transport hubs so we these don’t just become locations for housing and retail. Both different targets from government and plans for our town centres are needed such that we “do better than choosing between ever higher tower blocks in our town centres and building on our countryside.”
