Medway Local Plan (Regulation 18, 2024)

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Form ID: 2223

Respondent: Mr Robin Watkins

Do you think this policy provides effective guidance on the required housing mix in Medway?

I am not entirely sure what the thinking (nationally and locally) is on the requirements of the people. At the end of the day, if we need to build at the scale that I believe central government are looking to do, the only real way of doing that is to create whole new towns akin to Milton Keynes rather than a thousand houses here and there. I see lots of flats ("affordable" in the wider sense of the word no doubt) popping up near the town centres and along the river, but I don't know that anyone (on a national scale) has really been asked what they want. Presumably, our current mix is broadly in line with national requirements given the number of flats being built, and that new developments can accommodate "exec" housing, but surely given the scale of urbanisation in Medway already, there is an argument to spread that building up north, along what was the HS2 beyond Birmingham (and dare I say, into Scotland too).

Do you agree with having a 10% requirement for affordable housing on urban brownfield sites and 30% requirement for affordable housing on greenfield sites and higher value urban locations?

Not specifically. I think it depends on the development in question as to what is sensible. You'd not build 10 5 bed exec houses on the river front in favour of 50 flats for instance (or vice versa). I think the infrastructure is more of a key requirement in Medway - plenty of flats have been (and are being) built already and presumably, by definition, they should be more affordable than a detached house with a garden. My view is that if it's greenfield, it's not built on full stop. Medway is as populated as London in parts (and without the huge royal parks etc or infrastructure).

What do you consider would represent an effective alternative approach? Do you agree with a varied approach for affordable housing requirements based on the different value areas across Medway?

As above - site by site approach - but why not force the developers to pay proper contributions towards affordable housing (so that derelict properties, or for that matter those shops that are in our dead Gillingham High Street for example can be bought up and made into affordable housing - for local people). Seeing certain London council vans parked up around Medway, they may be people living here and working in London, but they may also be picking up local affordable housing for their own requirements?

What do you consider would represent an effective split of tenures between social/affordable rent and intermediate/low-cost home ownership housing in delivering affordable housing?

The first thing to do is to ensure that any affordable housing that exists (or is created) isn't picked up by London councils for instance. I think council houses (for local people) are an often overlooked thing more generally - particularly near to infrastructure (such as shops and reliable transportation).

What do you consider would represent an effective split of tenures between social/affordable rent and intermediate/low-cost home ownership housing in delivering affordable housing?

No answer given

Do you have views on defining the limits to over-concentration of HMOs in a community? What criteria would be recommended?

I suspect HMO's have their place, but if you allow them in areas with already limited parking or without decent transport links (so people can arguably go without a car - potentially replaced by a Zipcar type solution?), you will put undue pressure on surrounding houses/people.

Do you have any sites you wish to promote for self-build allocation?

No answer given

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