Minutes

9          NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL FIRST HOMES POSITION STATEMENT MARCH 2022 – The Director: Economy and Environment submitted a report seeking approval to implement the Government First Homes Guidance in accordance with national policy, and to publish the First Homes Position Statement March 2022.

On 24th May 2021, the Government published a Written Ministerial Statement to set out the Government’s plans for the delivery of First Homes defining the product.  To support the future development of First Homes, the Government also set out changes to planning policy and these changes came into effect from 28 June 2021.  The Planning Practice Guidance required local planning authorities to make clear how existing planning policies should be interpreted in the light of First Homes requirements using the most appropriate tools available to them.

The council had taken into account these changes as part of the emerging Local Plan Affordable Housing Policy, which was currently at regulation 19 stage, however the council had produced a ‘First Homes Position Statement’ taking account of the interim period until the emerging Local Plan (2020-2038) was adopted.            

First Homes were the government’s preferred discounted market tenure and should account for at least 25% of all affordable housing units delivered by developers through planning obligations.

The First Homes Position Statement March 2022 set out the First Homes eligibility criteria which included local connection requirements and household income cap in accordance with the national guidance.  First homes would take priority for the first 25% of the affordable housing requirements followed by other intermediate affordable housing products to meet the requirement of 10% affordable homeownership set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Resolved – (a) That the contents of the report be noted; (b) that the proposal to amend the revised CS9 Affordable Housing Policy, to implement the First Homes Guidance in accordance with national planning policy, be approved, and (c) that the First Homes Position Statement March 2022 be published on the council’s website.