Planning Advice Note 2/2010: Affordable Housing and Housing Land Audits

COVERING LETTER

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Directorate for the Built Environment
Jim Mackinnon, Director and Chief Planner

T: 0131-244 0770 F: 0131-244 7555
E: jim.mackinnon@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

As per addressee

August 2010

Dear Colleague

Planning Advice Note 2/2010: Affordable Housing and Housing Land Audits

I enclose a copy of Planning Advice Note ( PAN) 2/2010: Affordable Housing and Housing Land Audits.

Part 1 of the PAN updates and replaces the advice in PAN 74 Affordable Housing (2005). It provides advice and information on the delivery of affordable housing as part of high quality, sustainable communities. It explains the role of local authorities, Registered Social Landlords and developers in planning for and delivering a range of affordable housing types and tenures to meet identified need. Importantly the advice encourages a flexible approach on: a range of tenures; the percentage of affordable units identified in the development plan policy and on a specific site; provision on another site; and in some cases the use of a commuted sum. The PAN should be read within the context of Scottish Planning Policy ( SPP).

On the subject of commuted sums I wrote to local authorities, SFHA, Homes for Scotland and District Valuer Services in October 2009 to ask for comments on the appropriate basis for calculation. The Scottish Government received responses from a range of organisations and considered these carefully. A report summarising the comments can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/planning/National-Planning-Policy/themes/housing. The report shows that the consultation responses contained a diverse range of views. All the responses were carefully considered before a decision was made on the advice regarding commuted sums. The PAN advises that a commuted sum is a matter for negotiation between the developer and the local authority, having regard to development costs, other contributions that are being sought, and other relevant factors, for example layout and design. This advice encourages flexibility and local solutions in delivering affordable housing consistent with the approach taken on a range of other issues, such as agreement on sums required for infrastructure, and more widely the Concordat with local government.

PAN 2/2010 also provides advice on housing land audits. This was previously contained in Annex A of SPP 3 Planning for Homes (2008). It sets out advice on good practice in the preparation of housing land audits.

More information on housing and related planning documents can be found at

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/planning/National-Planning-Policy/themes/housing.

Yours Faithfully

JAMES G MACKINNON
Chief Planner