Planning Obligations and Affordable Housing SPD
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Planning Obligations and Affordable Housing SPD
Overview
Representation ID: 7190
Received: 19/03/2026
Respondent: Selsey Town Council
The district faces mounting affordability pressures, with local incomes unable to meet open‑market costs. The SPD should prioritise genuinely affordable homes, especially social and affordable rent, rather than relying on intermediate tenures that don’t meet local need. Viability assessments must be treated cautiously, with policy‑compliant schemes assumed viable and greater transparency required. Existing infrastructure is already strained, so development contributions must be timely, sufficient and clearly allocated. Clearer guidance is needed on how Section 106 funds are prioritised, ensuring communities hosting growth benefit. Early, meaningful engagement with town and parish councils would help ensure infrastructure contributions reflect local needs.
The district faces mounting affordability pressures, with local incomes unable to meet open‑market costs. The SPD should prioritise genuinely affordable homes, especially social and affordable rent, rather than relying on intermediate tenures that don’t meet local need. Viability assessments must be treated cautiously, with policy‑compliant schemes assumed viable and greater transparency required. Existing infrastructure is already strained, so development contributions must be timely, sufficient and clearly allocated. Clearer guidance is needed on how Section 106 funds are prioritised, ensuring communities hosting growth benefit. Early, meaningful engagement with town and parish councils would help ensure infrastructure contributions reflect local needs.
We sympathise with the pressure on the affordability of housing. However, as a local planning authority we have limited control over the price of market housing, and the policies governing the amounts of affordable housing that should be delivered are set out within the Chichester Local Plan 2021-2039. It is the role of the SPD to provide guidance on the implementation of these policies.
Comment
Planning Obligations and Affordable Housing SPD
1. Introduction
Representation ID: 7191
Received: 19/03/2026
Respondent: Selsey Town Council
Greater clarity is also needed regarding how Section 106 contributions will be prioritised and geographically allocated so that communities accommodating development receive appropriate infrastructure.
Town and parish councils have detailed knowledge of local infrastructure needs. The SPD would benefit from clearer commitments to early engagement with local councils during the negotiation of planning obligations and Section 106 agreements - consultation with local councils will help ensure that contributions are used appropriately.
Greater clarity is also needed regarding how Section 106 contributions will be prioritised and geographically allocated so that communities accommodating development receive appropriate infrastructure.
Town and parish councils have detailed knowledge of local infrastructure needs. The SPD would benefit from clearer commitments to early engagement with local councils during the negotiation of planning obligations and Section 106 agreements - consultation with local councils will help ensure that contributions are used appropriately.
Noted. S106 contributions need to be related to developments, and are collected for specific purposes, therefore we have limited control of this issue.
Comment
Planning Obligations and Affordable Housing SPD
Affordable Housing and Market Housing Mix
Representation ID: 7192
Received: 19/03/2026
Respondent: Selsey Town Council
The district faces growing affordability pressures, with many residents unable to meet open‑market housing costs. The SPD should prioritise genuinely affordable homes, especially social and affordable rent, as reliance on intermediate products will not meet local need. Affordable housing delivered through planning obligations must reflect locally identified requirements and remain accessible to residents. Viability assessments should be approached with caution, as they are often used to reduce affordable housing contributions. The SPD should reaffirm that policy‑compliant schemes are normally viable and require greater transparency in how viability assessments are used.
The district faces growing affordability pressures, with many residents unable to meet open‑market housing costs. The SPD should prioritise genuinely affordable homes, especially social and affordable rent, as reliance on intermediate products will not meet local need. Affordable housing delivered through planning obligations must reflect locally identified requirements and remain accessible to residents. Viability assessments should be approached with caution, as they are often used to reduce affordable housing contributions. The SPD should reaffirm that policy‑compliant schemes are normally viable and require greater transparency in how viability assessments are used.
We sympathise with the pressure on the affordability of housing. However, as a local planning authority we have limited control over the price of market housing, and the policies governing the amounts of affordable housing that should be delivered are set out within the Chichester Local Plan 2021-2039. It is the role of the SPD to provide guidance on the implementation of these policies.
