SIR: For the past few weeks I have noticed many reports in your paper of developers gaining planning permission either by application or appeals.
But in these developments I see no mention of affordable housing. It seems to me that developers may be taking advantage of any loopholes in the planning application process.
It was mentioned, in a previous letter, that there is to be a building scheme in Downside Road, Teg Down, and that the developer is ‘following’ planner’s guidance to build two- and three-bedroom dwellings. However, a supposed two-bedroom house would eventually be marketed in the region of £750,000.
I ask, how on earth can the average family living in Winchester afford such extortionate prices. When the new Winchester Village was built, the smallest house was marketed at over £300,000.
Please can I ask who decides the price of these new homes? And how do they come up with these figures?
Perhaps a cap could be levied on the amount of profit made by the developer from each house? I don’t know what the solution is but there has to be some way of increasing the amount of ‘proper’ affordable homes for those families not on £50,000+ per annum
C Church,
Goring Field,
Teg Down,
Winchester
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