Just looked at our councils proposed housing plan- help

[Lollipop20]

We live on a small estate of 4-6 bed houses There’s a site next to us which can accomodate 32 houses and this was within the planning commentary- does anybody know what the below means when they use the term alternative housing allocation? Thanks

The government increased housing targets last year so the council is likely to need to need to identify additional sites for development and reassess some they may have previously dismissed.

it probably just means they are looking for more space. an alternative to the other places listed.

I don't think they are going to be building yurts for the hippies.

That is usually the language used for housing association houses. My current cul de sac is small so they have to build affordable homes as part of planning agreements but often builders wangle it that on small new builds the affordable housing is built somewhere else so house prices for the original site are maximised and they still meet their obligations. Pretty sure that’s not the argument they put to the council but that’s the reality. Not sure if that applies for you but it’s the only time I’ve seen that language used.

Might just be any housing because they need to hit targets.

It means that they are looking for other places to build houses and this site is one of the places they're now considering.

@TeenLifeMum yes my concern was this to be honest as I thought the language was strange and when I googled alternative housing allocation it came up with social housing etc the development was built 8 years ago and this is a separate request and they are trying to find house builders to develop it. It would be upsetting due to the prices of housing on the estate being c £600,000-£650,000 so can’t see social housing being next to it having a positive impact on price and area.

I didn’t know if anyone knew for certain whether it meant social housing or or just an alternative place- will try and call the council tomorrow to get some more clarity, if that is the best contact?

Spoiler...social housing is everywhere.... I'd start clutching your pearls now tbh 🙄

Massive difference between social housing scattered through a new estate and that which is lumped together in one area. While there’s many lovely families needing social housing there’s others who are not so nice and the reality is it impacts on house values and quality of life. I can’t imagine many people would be happy to have a social housing estate next door but you can make out the op is in the wrong if that makes you feel better.

@Lollipop20 contact your council planning team.

Our estate has social housing on it and I couldn’t even tell you which houses they are - just normal families like everyone else

We are in the midst of a national housing crisis. It not about making myself feel better. It's about giving some reality to the OP, she clearly doesn't want social housing on her doorstep and mentioning the price of her house demonstrates that. Stinks very much of being a NIMBY.

Like @CoastalCalm we have social housing on our relatively new build estate & frankly they are better neighbours then those who "own" their houses.

I don’t think “alternative” necessarily indicates all social housing unless it is a council/housing association fully funded development. Most larger developments are required to have 10-20% minimum affordable/social housing even if primarily for private ownership and expensive.

But they are scattered through your new estate rather than an estate together. You are also lucky - my friend had a small block of social housing one bed flats and they put 3 guys newly released from prison. They aren’t there now as back in prison after 6 months of drug crime and a stabbing. This is in a “nice” area. It’s understandable people feel nervous.

I understand OPs concerns and I hate it when people assume it's Nimbyism
I grew up in social housing and I'd never buy next to it unless it was scattered around.
Some of my neighbours were absolute scumbags. I couldn't wait to escape.
I'd be worried too!

Is this part of a wider local plan consultation? If the land is allocated as housing land they won’t decide the specific type of housing. A developer will propose a scheme (which likely will include some kind of affordable housing unless they can prove it isn’t viable) and then they’ll either get permission or they won’t.

If you want to make a meaningful objection you better come up with a reason better than your house prices.