Westminster slammed for ‘failure to defend’ affordable homes
Westminster Labour councillors have lambasted the city council’s “failure to defend” the affordable housing policy in its new City Plan.
Last year, in response to the planning inspector’s recommendations, the council agreed it will no longer seek accompanying on-site residential or payments towards the affordable housing fund.
The tariff was designed to reduce the risk that too much office space would harm the mixed-use character of the Central Activities Zone. But the inspector said the policy did not deliver housing in the specific area and could reduce commercial development.
Westminster Labour councillors have lambasted the city council’s “failure to defend” the affordable housing policy in its new City Plan.
Last year, in response to the planning inspector’s recommendations, the council agreed it will no longer seek accompanying on-site residential or payments towards the affordable housing fund.
The tariff was designed to reduce the risk that too much office space would harm the mixed-use character of the Central Activities Zone. But the inspector said the policy did not deliver housing in the specific area and could reduce commercial development.
Westminster City Council’s Labour group said the omission would likely cost “tens of millions of pounds in contributions” over the next five years. The group said it had already raised £34m from 2016 to 2020.
Geoff Barraclough, Labour shadow cabinet member for planning, said: “It’s blindingly obvious that workers need affordable housing with easy access to the hundreds of thousands of jobs in the West End. Now, Westminster’s failure to prepare properly for the planning inspector’s examination leaves developers free to build speculative office blocks without making any affordable housing contributions at all.”
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