A government planning policy dubbed "insane"
that could have allowed London luxury landlords to escape more than £1 billion
a year in affordable-housing payments, has been quashed. Housing minister Brandon
Lewis unveiled the vacant building credit at the end of 2014, but it
immediately incurred the wrath of councils experiencing chronic housing
shortages. The credit allowed developers planning to convert vacant office
buildings into flats to pay only an affordable-housing contribution on new
space created. Prior to its introduction, developers paid according to the full
size of the building. But a legal challenge by West Berkshire District council
and Reading borough council has resulted in a judge ruling that part of the
policy was incompatible with the legal framework for planning. Read more on the
Independent website.
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