City rejects fears over land for affordable housing sites

City chiefs say there is no need to change their approach to affordable housing requirements, despite concerns about affordable homes being built away from the main development sites to which they are linked.

All planning applications for 12 or more market housing units have to provide land for 25 per cent of the units to be affordable homes.

Labour councillor Lesley Hinds had raised concerns about some developers of sites in conservation areas choosing to instead build their affordable homes “off site”.

Council planners have insisted the current approach does not need to be changed.

Dave Anderson, director of city development, said: “In the vast majority of developments, the policy is providing on-site affordable homes that blend in well with private market houses and flats. The in-built flexibility of the policy is used appropriately but rarely to justify an exception.”