Offices converted into Housing
Dear Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government,
Please answer the following questions under the Freedom of Information Act:-
1. Can Local Councils ensure that, when Offices are converted into residential accommodation, a proportion of those homes are affordable and social rented homes?
2. Are there any circumstances under which Local Councils are unable to ensure the provision of a proportion of affordable and social rented homes within developments of this kind under their Local Plans?
3. Given the Government's stated aim of providing more Affordable Homes, is it acceptable that some developers can use the excuse of "permitted development rights" so as not to provide a proportion of Affordable/Social Rented Homes as part of a conversion from offices to residential?
4. What initiatives are the Ministry taking to ensure that, when Offices are converted into housing, a proportion of these will be Affordable/Social Rented Homes?
Yours faithfully,
Rob Heale
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Dear Rob Heale,
Many thanks for your email below. Please be assured that the Department did receive your email and it has been sent for the attention of the relevant policy team who will be best placed to respond to your question(s) directly.
We are not treating your email as an FoI request because we considered that it was not a request for recorded information. When we receive requests that do not fall under FoI we transfer them so that they can be answered by the appropriate policy official.
Kind regards,
MHCLG FOI Team
Dear FoI Requests,
Please note that I haven't received a reply to the questions that I sent to the Ministry concerning "Offices converted into Housing" which was sent to you more than three months ago. Please can you respond to my questions as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely,
Rob Heale
Dear Mr Heale,
With sincere apologies, but due to an admin oversight, we did not log this case in January. I have asked for colleagues to log this as a matter of urgency and to come back on your email with an answer as soon as they can.
As you are not asking for recorded information, we are handling your questions under business as usual correspondence.
With kind regards,
MHCLG FOI Team
Dear FoI Requests,
Please can you let me know when I am likely to get a reply. The original questions were sent on 11th January 2021. Thanking you in anticipation.
Yours sincerely,
Rob Heale
Dear Mr Heale,
Thank you for your e-mail which has been passed to me for reply.
It is common for local planning authorities to require a proportion of new homes to be affordable when granting planning permission for housing developments above a certain threshold. They will generally have local plan polices which set out what the requirements are.
However, where planning permission is granted through a national permitted development right, such as those which allow offices and shops to change to residential use, it is not possible for local authorities to secure affordable housing contributions as permission has already been granted under the right. It is however possible for local planning authorities to require Community Infrastructure Levy contributions where extra floorspace is created and there is a charging schedule in place.
I hope this helps,
Paul Martin |Planning Development Management |Planning Directorate |Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government |3rd Floor, Fry Building, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF |
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Please note I am Paul Martin in FSSD in Hemel Hempstead.
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Kind regards,
Paul.
Paul Martin
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