Affordable housing withdrawn from approved scheme

Families are in limbo after the developer behind an already-approved housing scheme pulled out of plans to include affordable homes in the project.

A proposal to build 206 new units in Elmsleigh Road, Staines, was given the green light on appeal in 2022 after Spelthorne Borough Council had refused the application the previous year.

Fairview New Homes has asked the council to remove 70 affordable homes from its plans and instead agreed to contribute £3.85m towards off-site affordable housing, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

With almost 2,500 people waiting for housing, the move has left families in an uncertain position while the council seeks a housing partner.

The council opted to delay accepting the money and approached a rent-to-buy provider, Rent Plus, which buys affordable homes from developers at a discount and then leases them to low-income families on the waiting list.

Liberal Democrat councillor Lawrence Nichols told a planning committee on 8 January the council had a meeting scheduled with Rent Plus on Tuesday.

Director of affordable housing for Fairview New Homes, Jonathan Millership, told the committee it had approached numerous registered providers for affordable housing but there was "no interest from any to take the residential units".

He said the responses "highlighted several issues" including the lack of appetite for flats in tall buildings outside London.

Independent councillor Katherine Rutherford said the company "should have done its research", while Conservative councillor Darren Clarke added: "We all want affordable housing [and] we've got a real housing crisis."

The decision on whether to accept the developer's contribution has been deferred until the next planning meeting in February.

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.