Judge Quashes Government Policy on Affordable Housing Exemption Thresholds

摘要

Two Berkshire councils have won a landmark High Court challenge over government policy brought in last November which set a threshold on the size of developments beneath which planning authorities should not seek affordable housing contributions through s.106 agreements. That has now been quashed as has the vacant building credit policy. Under those provisions affordable housing requirements were reduced according to the extent to which a housing proposal involved the re-use or redevelopment of vacant buildings. As a result of last week's ruling by Holgate J some 12 paragraphs have been removed from the National Planning Policy Guidance.