THE number of affordable homes being built in South Somerset could rise sharply this year.

South Somerset District Council has published estimates of how many affordable dwellings will be delivered, based on current planning permissions granted and others which are expected to be approved.

This represents a departure from two years ago, where large parts of the district saw no new affordable homes built at all.

Affordable housing is made available at below the market price, and can typically include the following forms of accommodation:

  • Affordable rent (where the rent is up to 80 per cent of the market price)
  • Social rent (where the rent is at a lower level, set by the local authority)
  • Shared ownership (where the tenant buys a share of the property and pays rent, below the market rate, on the remainder)
  • Reports on the delivery of affordable housing have been presented to the council’s four area committees, which are responsible for voting on major planning applications.

These reports follow on from annual estimates for the whole district, which were last published in July 2017.

Across the district, 55 affordable homes were delivered in 2016/17 – a drop from 128 in 2015/16 and 181 in 2014/15.

In July 2017, the council predicted that it would deliver 81 affordable homes in 2017/18 – but it failed to meet this target, with only 65 being completed.

Colin McDonald, the council’s corporate strategic housing manager, stated in last summer’s report that the council had delivered an average of 112 homes per year over a four year period, as opposed to an average 206 per year for the period from 2011 to 2015.

The latest estimates from the four area reports – published between November 1, 2017 and April 10, 2018 – indicate that up to 342 affordable properties could be delivered this financial year.

In area north (which includes Somerton, Langport and Martock), no affordable homes were built at all in 2016/17.

This improved slightly to nine in 2017/18, in the shape of four properties on Water Street in Martock and a further five being finished at the Northfield site in Somerton.

In the current year, the council estimates that 98 affordable properties will be delivered in area north – including 31 on the Northfield site.

This figure does, however, include the 34 homes which Stonewater is seeking to build on West End Close in South Petherton.

Plans for this development were recommended for refusal by the area north committee on March 28. The regulation committee is set to make a final decision on these plans on Tuesday (April 17).

In area west (which includes Chard, Crewkerne and Ilminster), no affordable homes were built in 2016/17 or 2017/18, though last year one house in Chard was acquired by Magna Housing.

Mr McDonald said that this has resulted from all previous schemes being finished by the end of 2015/16.

No proposed schemes for the area have yet got under way, which he described as “an unusual position”.

A total of 70 affordable homes are set to be build this year – pending planning permission – including 40 on North Street in Crewkerne and a further 17 in Misterton.

In area south (Yeovil) the picture is more consistent, with 43 dwellings being delivered in 2016/17 and 50 coming forward for 2017/18.

This includes the completion of a Stonewater scheme on Fosse Park Road in Yeovil and five existing two-bedroom homes which have been acquired and re-purposed by the Bournemouth Churches Housing Association.

However, Mr McDonald said that he could not be certain how many, if any, affordable homes would be delivered in the Yeovil area this year.

He said: “It is likely that one or other of the key sites will reach a trigger point and that further affordable homes will be delivered next financial year – although, of course, there is no guarantee.”

Finally, in area east (which includes Bruton, Castle Cary and Wincanton), only 12 affordable homes were built in 2016/17 – all of them on Wheathill Lane in Milborne Port.

Worse still, in 2017/18, only six affordable properties were completed – all of them in one village, South Cadbury.

Numerous major developments have been granted permission but have not begun construction, with the council estimating that they will together deliver a total of 174 affordable homes.

These developments include land at Gainsborough in Milborne Port, Station Road in Castle Cary and Cuckoo Hill in Bruton.

A further scheme in Wincanton, for 15 affordable homes on Vedelers Hey, was approved by the area east committee on Wednesday (April 11).

Mr McDonald said that affordable houses were typically delivered “in waves” rather than hitting a consistent rate in each given year.

He added: “There is often a delay between the grant of planning permission and the commencement of such developments”.