The Shropshire Council response to the affordable housing is as follows:

That “housing meets the needs of local people through a range of suitable housing options, particularly affordable housing developments” is one of Shropshire Councils key priorities.

Its key response to the issue of affordable housing is to adopt policies that facilitate the delivery of affordable housing. In July 2009 Shropshire Council approved Interim Planning Guidance on affordable housing. The guidance has three primary aims these are:

• Increase potential sources of supply of new affordable housing across Shropshire
• Create a more positive approach to affordable housing
• Provide a degree of consistency across Shropshire

The IPG is a material consideration when determining relevant planning applications.

Local Policy beyond the IPG

The IPG has been superseded by a SPD (Supplementary Planning Document) following the examination of the Core Strategy in November 2010. Policy CS11 of The Core Strategy – identifies the need to “create mixed, balanced and inclusive communities, an integrated and balanced approach needs to be taken with regard to existing and new housing”. The adopted plan sets targets for affordable housing and introduce policies to bring forward more affordable homes within open market housing developments.

Delivering affordable housing

The Housing Enabling and Implementation team were established in 2009 with the primary aim of enabling the delivery of affordable housing through the implementation of the IPG.

The IPG identifies three mechanisms for the delivery of affordable, these comprise:

• single plot exception site
• group exception site and
• through a mixed open market/affordable housing site

The first two points can be delivered on exception sites i.e. where open market housing would not be supported and the third relates to land where planning policy allows open market housing but requires a percentage of affordable housing.

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