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Planning Advisory Service (PAS)
Open group | Started - July 2012 | Last activity - This week

Is it appropriate to count 100% of C2 uses towards your OAN?

Former Member, modified 9 Years ago.

Is it appropriate to count 100% of C2 uses towards your OAN?

I attended a PAS conference this week on Objectively Assessed Housing need and 5 year housing land supply, where the subject of counting C2 uses towards your 5 year housing land supply was discussed. 

Keith Holland Plannning Inspector though that 'it would be very dangerous to count 1 bed as 1 new household' but what he did not go on to say is why and what percentage would be a 'sensible' to use.

Any advice on what other authority are doing would be very helpful.

Ian McDonald, modified 9 Years ago.

RE: Is it appropriate to count 100% of C2 uses towards your OAN?

Enthusiast Posts: 69 Join Date: 15/05/12 Recent Posts

The Housing Flows Reconciliation  (HFR) guidance notes for section 8. communal accommodation says that the number of units to record in the HFR form should correspond to the number of council tax valuation listings for communal accommodation.  During 2013/14 we have a site completed with a block of C2 residential care/nursing home (52 bedrooms) and 13 elderly persons flats (C3).  Our council tax has recorded the C2 block as 1 assessment and 13 separate flats.  In Section 8 of the HFR form, we have recorded this as 1 (and the 13 flats are included in section 2. new build).  The completion figures in the HFR form have always been the same as reported in the AMR/Five Year Land Supply report.   This is tricky when counting C2 completions in the AMR/Five Year Land Supply report - do we report 1 for the 52-bedroom block or count the number of bedrooms i.e. 52?  The National Practice Guidance doesn't help (it states "Local planning authorities should count housing provided for older people, including residential institutions in Use Class C2, against their housing requirement").

Andrea King, modified 9 Years ago.

RE: Is it appropriate to count 100% of C2 uses towards your OAN?

Enthusiast Posts: 76 Join Date: 19/08/13 Recent Posts
The issue is that a bedroom in a care home, etc. (regardless of shared facilities like kitchen, living areas, etc.) still serves as providing for what is effectively a single-person household, which would suggest that each bedroom should be counted towards housing numbers and thereby reducing the number of households needing new dwellings.
Former Member, modified 9 Years ago.

RE: Is it appropriate to count 100% of C2 uses towards your OAN?

I too have been looking into the issue of counting C2 housing within completions.

In terms of residential care beds it is possible that there is one part of a couple living in their original home and another in residential care so in this case it would be inappropriate to count the residential care bed as a household. A neighbouring authority has used a 67% of residential care beds as an initial starting point.

The other issue is that many of the C2 housing in this Borough is for residents with a disability or mental health issues and not specifically 'older people'. How have others dealt with this?

Andrea King, modified 9 Years ago.

RE: Is it appropriate to count 100% of C2 uses towards your OAN?

Enthusiast Posts: 76 Join Date: 19/08/13 Recent Posts
I see you point Gemma, but if they're having to live separately, one at their family home and one in a care home, and particularly if that's an ongoing/permanent situation rather than one just temporarily living in the care home, then they're both effectively living as separate households regardless of still being a couple.