The Larnaca Works in Southwark, south London, shows where the development industry is heading. Not because of its loft-style flats, designer kitchens or any of the other things that would be mentioned in a marketing brochure, but because of the amount of affordable housing it will contain.Union, the developer, got planning permission for 90 homes in June 2007 on the condition that 35 of them were affordable. But after the market nosedived, Knight Frank, its planning consultant, told the council that it could afford to build only 25.6. Southwark council agreed that Union could sell its shared ownership properties on the open market. It also allowed the developer to apply to the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) for grant to fund the social rented homes. In return, the developer promised to start on site within six months.
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