Throughout all the Folkestone Harbour Plan consultations which took place between Oct 2022 – August 2023, we were all informed the number of affordable housing plots across the whole site was to be eighty (80). This was touted to the world at large by the dedicated website:
www.folkestoneharbourplan.info
It’s clear the applicant promised to deliver 80 new Affordable Homes, across the whole development.
However due to the legitimate hue and cry of consultees, the design for the Harbour Plan was rejigged and shrank by 20%. But the consequences of the shrinkage meant a reduction of 15% of the affordable homes.
Affordable housing is defined as:
housing for sale or rent, for those whose needs are not met by the market (including housing that provides a subsidised route to home ownership and/or is for essential local workers); and which complies with one or more of the following definitions,
as set out in Annex 2 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
1 – Affordable housing for rent
2 – Starter homes
3 – Discounted market sales housing
4 – Other affordable routes to home ownership – such as shared ownership.
The s106 agreement dated the 25 January 2015, only says there needed to be “a minium of 8%” affordable housing. It also dictated it be shared ownership housing, no social rent. The affordable housing requirement is meet with the reduced footprint of the site.
The reserved matters application, 24/0505/FH, is the substance of the application – it puts the meat onto the bones, there will now be 66 affordable homes across the whole site which is 15% less affordable homes, due to the legitimate hue & cry which shrank the Harbour Plan by 20%.
Given the loss of the 15% of the affordable homes, twelve in number, would it not be sensible to suggest- we remove all affordable housing provision from the Harbour Plan, at the price it will cost to build and finish, and pass the money to the Council to use a percentage to build out the stalled Ship Street site, for example? If there is any money left over it could be used to improve and refurbish council homes.
If people want the site to shrink in mass and scale then it’s necessary to have the conversation, as removing 66 affordable homes would do just that.
Sir Roger is a business man. He like any business person is in business to pursue a profit and make money. At present there are 820 homes spread out across the whole site, plus 66 affordable. Fifty two of the sixty six affordable housing units are planned for delivery on the Harbour site.
The Harbour Plots Planning Statement informs us the taller building are to be located at the eastern corners of the plot, as can be seen in the image below.
If sixty six homes could be shaved of the taller buildings, would it be enough? For some the answer is a clear no, for other yes, and then there’s the undecided.
Sir Roger is a man who doesn’t understand no or can’t, according to his former second in command, Trevor –Ming the Merciless– Minter.
Removing the affordable housing benefits him, but the communities where the money ends up to build the homes receive an economic, social and environmental benefit. Some might see this as a win- win, others not.
As distasteful as it is, asking, telling, requesting Sir Roger to scrap the scheme, build a lower scheme more in keeping with the site as is now, or something else, fine words will not butter parsnips, especially as there is a handsome profit to be had from the development.
A conversation needs to happen otherwise further hue and cry may well shrink the site, and possibly shrink the number of affordable homes; which would be a tragedy.
Right now, Folkestone like many other towns and cities needs affordable housing, what with rent in the private rented sector now so un-affordably high. We need to fight to keep all the promised 80 affordable homes even if that means removing them from the site and building them elsewhere, or is that a step to far?
The Shepway Vox Team
Discernibly Different Dissent
