Affordable housing splits planners

3:48pm Tuesday 19th August 2008

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A PLAN to build 13 luxury homes on the edge of Salisbury split decision makers as they disagreed over the lack of affordable housing provided by the proposal.

The chairman of Salisbury District Council's southern area committee, Bryan Rycroft, had to use his casting vote to make a decision over the Prime Meridian application to build the homes on land at Cornworthy, between Coombe Road and Old Blandford Road Members were discussing whether to recommend approval of the application, which would replace two existing homes, to the planning and regulatory panel, which will make a final decision on the issue at it's next meeting on September 1.

Under council policy any site capable of holding 15 or more homes should contain some affordable housing but, in this case, an officer's report to the committee states that, although the site is capable of holding more than the 13 proposed, other considerations such as the nature of the area and restraints on development make it impractical.

But several members of the committee disagreed with this conclusion.

Councillor Christopher Devine said: "We would be failing as a committee if we didn't have affordable housing there. We would be failing the people of Salisbury."

Councillor Ian McLennan said: "If you are going to make a change it needs to meet the community's ongoing needs, and the community is saying we need affordable housing for our young people.

"This is the very sort of site on which you can have that and we are talking about putting 13 homes there, with double garages etc, when you can surely get far more on there."

Concerns were also raised about the sustainability of the site and the lack of pavements along the full length of Old Blandford Road, which could pose a danger to pedestrians and problems with children being able to walk to and from Harnham School.

Councillors were split equally between recommending the application be turned down or approved by the planning and regulatory panel and cllr Rycroft used his casting vote to recommend it be approved.