Council Wins Landmark Affordable Housing Case

Islington Council has won a landmark case that could stop developers across the country skimping on their affordable housing offering. The Planning Inspectorate, an independent regulator, upheld the town hall’s refusal of planning permission for a site on grounds the project did not provide the “maximum reasonable amount” of affordable homes. First Base Ltd applied to build 96 homes but the bid contained no affordable housing at all. Islington’s target is 50 per cent, but policy dictates developers must build as many as possible. The council rejected the bid twice and now its appeal  has also been dismissed. The decision centred around how the viability of the development was assessed and how the price of the land should be determined. Read more on the Islington Gazette website.