First Homes - Public forum - Planning Advisory Service (PAS)

Bolsover District Council was an early pilot.

Can I just tag onto this post, where authorities are implementing First Homes is this generally led by Planning or the Housing teams? I know that in Surrey there doesn't seem to be a consistent approach so it would be really useful to know what approach is taken elsewhere. 

See Bucks Council Interim Position

Consideration of apps shared between Planning and Housing

But seen as a planning issue from a policy perspective

Hot topic is that staying below the price cap requires a much bigger % discount than the minumum 30%

See Medway's position statement. 

We've only got one permission with FHs as part of the affordable housing mix but I think there some currently under consideration. This will be led by the planning team but in consultation with our housing team.

Our council owned development company and a major housebuilder secured funding as part of the FHs Early Delivery Programme and over 80 homes have been sold under it in Medway. Our housing team processes the applications but the S106 team will also monitor the schemes for compliance with the legal agreements.

Thank you Rachel and Richard

In most instances that I have come across Planning Policy are responsbile for writing the Interim Planning Guidance on First Homes but not in the implementation - which tends to be either DM or Housing.

It is the implementation/ building of the First Homes that I am interested in. Have you had any First Homes delivered in Buckinghamshire Richard? If so, who was involved in processing the First Homes applications? Do you have local eligibility criteria for them? If so, who checks this - DM or Housing? 

Thanks

Judith

I wondered if any Councils who have a system in place for checking marketing strategies for First Homes? I noticed that in the First Homes Early Delivery Programme: advertising requirements for developers dated 12 May 2022 that it states that “We recommend that the marketing strategy be agreed in detail between the developer and the local authority at an early stage, as part of the s106 negotiation, so that all are clear on the agreed approach. Doing so will add clarity both to the period in which any local eligibility criteria applies, and to the period after which First Homes could potentially be released to the open market.”

We have them as an AH type and recognised in our S106s.  As far as I am aware only 1 site is bringing forward as yet and to date only 1 dwelling has approached re sign off.  We are learning as we go, with a lot of help from our legal team.

Thanks Sulina

Sounds similar to our position. We have local connection crtieria in our Interim First Homes Policy Statement. We have 5 First Homes coming forward on a site which are nearing the end of the marketing period for them, with not all sold to local people. This means that we are now going to be going to the national criteria for occupation.

My concern is that after 3 months of marketing these dwellings can then revert to market housing. I have not seen a marketing plan for the units and so how can we be sure that the marketing that has taken place is adequate? Is this something that DM officers are checking as part of the application?

Worth noting that last week's draft national policy changes, while still including First Homes as a form of "affordable" housing, are intent on removing the prescription that the first cut of S106 funding should be for first homes in Dec 2023 NPPF.  Obviously this is directly linked to the move back towards social housing and away from years of moving towards different housing offers which are in most eyes are not genuinely affordable and probably have not delivered very much?

I've always felt the work involved was mammoth to deliver first homes as a tenure choice but clearly if you feel it suits your housing market then I think the changes would still allow it...unless presumably you identify lots of social housing need.