Developer seeks to opt-out of affordable homes rule

Lagan Homes has planning permission to build 61 homes on Marlborough Road, Swindon

A council is to consider whether a developer should be freed of an obligation to build affordable houses on a new development.

Swindon Borough Council's policy requires developers to ensure a third of their plots are affordable.

Lagan Homes has planning permission to build 61 homes on Marlborough Road, near Great Western Hospital. Of those, 18 will have to be affordable.

The developer said the site will be "unviable" if they have to stick to the council's condition.

Affordable properties have to be made available for 80% of the market value.

A spokesperson from Lagan Homes said the profit margin generated equates to just 6.65%, under the council's conditions.

However, the developer said the economic situation has "changed for the worse", since the figure was calculated in August.

Lagan Homes said the site will be "unviable" under the council's condition

Council planning officers have suggested the developer pays £720,000 to the authority as an alternative to building the affordable units, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The developer is now seeking a judicial review of the council’s refusal of a previous attempt to remove the affordable homes condition.

The planning committee will meet at 18:00 BST on 10 September to discuss the proposals.