Agenda item

Meeting received a presentation from Karen Sullivan, Director of Planning and Development. The following points were highlighted :

•       Planning permission has been secured for 1,112 genuinely affordable homes across four sites i.e. Holloway Prison, Barnsbury Estate, Vorley Road and Mount Pleasant.  This includes 896 homes for social rent (including 60 extra care homes) and 216 homes for shared ownership.  

•       291 new homes for social rent will replace homes demolished on the Barnbury Estate and provide better quality homes for the local residents and address overcrowding across the Estate.

•       Following negotiations with developers, 55 homes for social rent will now be delivered on the Mount Pleasant site.  This is a significant achievement considering that the previous planning permission did not secure any homes for social rent (all consented at ‘affordable rent’).

•       The Director acknowledged that construction on the Parkhurst Road site (TRA site) is also underway, delivering 50% affordable housing including 41 homes for social rent, noting that the former landowners originally proposed zero affordable housing.This  achievement followed a landmark legal case setting national affordable housing policy.  

•       In addition to CIL and s106 payments, the meeting was advised of the significance of small sites and off-site contributions for affordable housing. The Council has secured  nearly £50m,  which  will be allocated to the New Build team to build genuinely affordable homes. Members were reminded that small site contributions are not subject to the same restrictions that apply when the Council receives grant to build homes, which is to be welcomed.

•       In terms of annual targets, the meeting was advised that 775 new homes per year are to be built in the borough., This target is based on a very detailed and rigorous analysis of site availability and when sites are likely to come forward.

•       Aim of the Council is to ensure that at least 50% of new homes are to be genuinely affordable (70% social rent and 30% intermediate i.e. London Living Rent or shared ownership). 

•       The Director acknowledged that concerns exist on the affordability of the  shared ownership tenure, noting that no  shared ownership housing is planned for the Barnsbury Estate.

•       It is important to note that Islington’s Local Plan and policies on affordable housing exceed London Plan policies with regards to the provision of affordable housing. A very careful balancing act is required between providing good quality homes versus quantity of homes. The Council has exacting planning policies which provide guidance on space standards and the size of new homes (number of bedrooms). Members were advised that officers in Planning and Development are involved in detailed negotiations with colleagues in Housing Needs on each site to ensure that the size of the new homes reflects ward level demand. 

•       The Director stated that the borough is already densely developed with low levels of developable land and that any developable sites tend to be constrained.

•       The Council’s planning policies place great weight on the quality of life (amenity) for future residents l, for example on issues such as space standards; sunlight and daylight in homes and open spaces; aspect, ventilation and overheating; privacy and overlooking; outdoor space; and play space.,

•       On providing affordable homes in Tall Buildings, the meeting was reminded that although Islington Planning policies (as set out in the Local Plan) and London Plan restrict tall buildings (above 30 metres) some sites are allocated for tall buildings within the borough.

•       Planning policies require that tall buildings have exceptional design and must have an acceptable impact on the local microclimate (e.g. wind, sunlight and daylight and overshadowing of surrounding buildings and open spaces); sustainability; bio-diversity; streetscape; townscape; heritage; and views.

•       The Director informed the Committee of exceptions to Islington Tall Buildings policy, that recently the Planning Committee granted planning consent on housing sites which were not allocated for tall buildings for example the Holloway Prison site and the Barnsbury Estate, and that in both cases, the harm caused by the breach of the tall buildings policy was considered to be outweighed by public benefits including the delivery of genuinely affordable housing.  The Vorley Road site had also been allocated for a tall building.

•       It was noted that construction costs and viability may be a factor in not providing affordable homes in very tall buildings as there is the view that costs tend to increase significantly for buildings over 18m tall.

•       Not all parts of tall buildings may be suitable for all residents, for example families and disabled and older people. However, housing colleagues have also stated that there is a significant demand for social homes in tall buildings given the severe nature of the housing crisis in Islington.    

•       A number of challenges regarding delivery of affordable homes which are not unique to Islington but nationally recognised include the adoption of the Local Plan and First Homes policy and the government’s ongoing review of its policies on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which will introduce an entirely different approach to securing affordable housing on sites that are not owned by the council.

•       Meeting was advised that the available land for residential development in Islington is mostly public owned, and very little privately owned land is available for residential development. In addition to the above challenges, the emerging GLA and Government approach to the fire safety of tall residential buildings is creating uncertainty and delay.    

•       In terms of opportunities, the Director informed the meeting that Planning Officers are in continuous discussions with the New Build Team so as to bring forward affordable housing on council owned sites such as the Finsbury Leisure Centre.

•       Officers are also in regular discussions with external landowners to bring forward development on sites that are not owned by the council for example Archway Campus site with potentially up to 100 new genuinely affordable homes being built.

•       The Council is in proactive discussions with owners of residential sites in the Borough encouraging them to come forward with schemes (including private landowners, RPs and the Corporation of the City of London).

•       Planning Officers are also encouraging the use of new architectural practices to test innovative approaches to address the challenges of high density schemes.

•       In response to a question from a member of the public on when the Council will be reviewing its approach to roof extensions in conservation areas, the Director acknowledged that there had been extensive communication with the resident on this issue.,

•       In response to a question about the high maintenance costs of tall buildings to bring them to decent homes standards, the meeting was advised that tall buildings come with a range of challenges, some as a result of their design which is historical, however this will not be the case with the newly designed tall buildings.

•       On the request for average service charges on the different buildings, the Director of Housing Needs indicated that this information could be made available.

•       Clarifying the issues of social housing and affordable homes, the Director acknowledged that defining the different tenures can be challenging, that anyone in council owned properties is in affordable housing and largely paying rent that is set according to the national formula. In the case of intermediate, housing is targeted at those not eligible for council housing and unable to afford market housing, primarily for those with household income of up to £90,000.

•       Meeting was advised that the Council recognises tenures like shared ownership and London Living rent (a bit complicated as it is targeted on those with middle incomes which is calculated on a ward by ward basis. The Director noted that the London Affordable rent is not accepted by Islington Council as it is not considered to meet priority housing need in the borough.

•       The priority for the planning team is social rent housing which is reflected in the recently consented schemes, and that there is no intermediate tenure provided in the Barnsbury scheme.

•       With regards to the Council’s target of 775 homes, the Director acknowledged that sites have been identified after extensive technical work, that the plan is going through a rigorous assessment with an independent Inspector.

•       A member welcomed the suggestion that architectural design of council homes should be developed through engagement with the community but had concerns with tall buildings as the way forward in light of the Grenfell incident some years ago.

•       A member welcomed tall buildings in so far as the design is of high quality and safe guards relating to fire safety are properly taken into consideration.

•       The Executive Member advised that presently to the south of the borough, there are a number of high rise buildings, that the overriding factor at the moment is how to address the increasing number of people on the housing register which needs to be urgently reduced.

•       On the issue of fire safety, the meeting was advised that although all local authorities are awaiting the outcome of the governments consultation on building regulations, the GLA in the interim has now introduced in its planning process a stage 2 referral requirement which states that any building above 30m will require a second stair case to address safety concerns.

•       The Director reiterated that Islington is not against tall buildings being built as long as they are sited in the right place and meet the tall building policies.

•       Meeting was advised that as at February 2023, the Council has 11 projects on site being constructed with 3 due to be completed in the next 3 weeks delivering 75 new council homes. A further 83 new homes are planned to be completed during the end of 2023/24 year.

•       In terms of monitoring of council homes and benchmarking with other neighbouring authorities, the Director of New Build advised that some data will be put together and brought to committee at a later date, that nothing exists nationally.

•       Meeting was advised that the GLA, the Mayor of London and the Department of Local Government and Communities have separate registers which is primarily to track funding and not pertaining to the actual delivery of social housing, that officers will provide the Committee with some inhouse work carried out by Islington officers and some comparison data from other London boroughs at a future meeting which will enable members the opportunity to scrutinise the Council’s delivery of social housing.

•       The Chair reiterated that Committee is looking at overcrowding and how to address it, that it is important for members to narrow down the exact number of homes being built specifically council social rented homes and not housing association dwellings.

•       In response the Director of New Build stated that the Council target of direct delivery of 550 new homes by 2023 has been substantially met, that a further target of 750 homes is being proposed for 2026-2027 financial year which fits into the earlier projections stated by the Director of Planning in her presentation.

•       On the request for comparison data with other neighbouring authorities, the Director of New Build noted that this will be brought back to the Committee at a future meeting, noting that there is no single but from different sources.

The Chair thanked the Director of Planning, Karen Sullivan for her presentation stating that going forward in light of this ongoing challenge for the Council, the Committee may in the future be revisiting this issue and therefore invite the Director back to the Committee.

RESOLVED:

•       That comparison data with regard to delivery of social homes be provided by the Director of New Build at future meeting.

•       That a breakdown of the average cost of maintenance of tall buildings be provided by Housing officers.