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Developing affordable housing

SpeakerListen to the text on this page

Housing is one of the Council's top priorities and we are working in partnership with other agencies, including parish councils, housing associations, developers, private landlords and local people, to identify where housing is needed and to ensure it is provided.

Our Housing Strategies and the Suffolk Coastal Local Plan provide information about the Council's objectives and policies regarding affordable housing.

What is affordable housing?

Affordable housing is defined in the Government's Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3) (new window) as follows:

'Affordable housing includes social rented and intermediate housing, provided to specified eligible households whose needs are not met by the market. Affordable housing should:

  • Meet the needs of eligible households including availability at a cost low enough for them to afford, determined with regard to local incomes and local house prices.

  • Include provision for the home to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households or, if these restrictions are lifted, for the subsidy to be recycled for alternative affordable housing provision’.

Affordable housing can include:

New housing for rental, KesgraveHousing for rent - where the rent charged is substantially less than open market rents, and is therefore affordable by local people in housing need. No 'right to acquire' the property can be exercised by tenants who rent housing association homes built on rural exceptions sites.

Equity share - housing built for sale and offered at reduced rates to people in housing need who cannot afford market prices for owner occupation. Usually 50% or 75% equity is offered, with a housing association retaining a percentage of the value of the property in perpetuity.

New Build HomeBuy homes, KesgraveShared ownership - suitable for people whose income does not qualify them for a mortgage to cover the full purchase price of a house, but who can afford more than a subsidised rent. There are several types of shared ownership but the most common type is restricted shared equity where tenants would initially have a mortgage of 40-50% and pay rent on the rest. If their income allows they can 'staircase' up and buy more by way of a mortgage up to a maximum of 100% on some schemes. Some have local restrictions.

What is a housing association?

Housing associations are non-profit making organisations that provide and manage homes for rent and sale for people in housing need who cannot afford to rent privately or buy. Most Housing Associations provide housing with the help of public money given by the government or local authorities; in some cases, the association may provide housing using its own money. Housing organisations registered under the Housing Act 1996 are legally known as Registered Social Landlords.

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