This case study highlights the benefit of Local Authorities undertaking partnership working to build affordable and social housing on council-owned brownfield land
Introduction
One of Mendip District Council’s (MDC) corporate priorities is to build social rented and affordable homes in the local area, starting with land owned by the Council. The two sites that form this case study are both council-owned car parks being brought forward for social housing development through the local authority working with a social housing provider. The first site is Land Off Norbins Road Glastonbury where a planning application has been submitted for construction of 6x 2 bed dwellings. The second is North Parade Car park in Frome where there are plans to submit an application for 18 sustainable modular homes. Both sites have benefitted from Land Release Funding (LRF).
Key Findings and Success Factors
Key Planning Tools
- Both sites are brownfield sites located within existing settlement boundaries and contained in the council’s Brownfield Land Register.
- Full planning applications are being used for both sites.
- The work that the council undertook in investigating the potential of the sites in order to apply for the LRF funding was particularly useful for the developer. “The Council had, in effect, submitted their own pre application enquiries. And so, we were able to benefit from those very early on” (Developer).
- The loss of car parking on both sites formed a minor challenge that needed to be addressed through engaging with the local community and businesses.
Site Identification
- Both sites were included on the council’s brownfield register in March 2020.
- Both sites form part of the Council’s Affordable & Social Housing Delivery Programme.
- The sites are not allocated within the Local Plan.
Site Viability
- Viability has been a key challenge on these sites due to the Council’s priority to make the sites 100% affordable with an even split between social rent and shared ownership.
- The council commissioned independent valuations of the sites before inviting bids from social housing developers in order to ensure that they would get value for money without taking the sites to the open market.
- Given the challenge of viability, Land Release Funding was particularly useful in terms of facilitating access to the sites.
Leadership and Governance
- Strong leadership, partnership-forming and negotiating skills from the Council’s appointed Team Leader, made this development successful. This was key to negotiating and forming partnerships with the social housing providers.
- In both locations, the commitment of the Council and the social housing developer to bringing the development forward was key to progressing the sites.
Key Lessons
Key Lessons
- Having a dedicated member of staff whose role it is to bring forward Council owned land for social housing developments helped these projects to proceed.
- Having a strategy and commitment to brownfield redevelopment in the Council’s corporate plan provided an important driver in bringing these projects forward. As did the Council’s review of the development potential of all Council owned land.
- Pick the right partner for the project in order to benefit from shared objectives and put forward an attractive proposition in order to encourage the right partner.
- Transparency is key to partnership working.
- Ensure that the process of applying for external funding is an open process in order to help prevent opposition at a later stage.
- Nutrient neutrality has caused a significant challenge for Norbins Road and, at the time of writing, is preventing the Local Planning Authority from being able to make a decision on the application.