Fewer affordable homes bid

A housing with care scheme under way in Aylsham looks set to include fewer affordable homes.

Broadland Council planning committee members, meeting yesterday, were due to consider a recommendation from officers which would see a two per cent reduction in the number of affordable homes in the development, part of the new-look St Michael's Hospital site.

The 30-flat scheme for older people was set to include 35pc of affordable homes as part of planning conditions attached to the scheme.

But a report to the committee says the change to 33pc is considered acceptable, as it is the figure recently agreed in the adopted Joint Core Strategy; the planning blueprint for Broadland, Norwich and South Norfolk.

The switch is an attempt at a compromise between the original plan and the wishes of the Aylsham Care Trust (ACT), a key partner in the development.

ACT had wanted a larger scheme, including some flats for local market sale as a result of research by Norfolk County Council's Adult Social Services department.

Officers say a bigger scheme was not possible but instead were recommending that six of 10 properties currently earmarked for social rent were made available for shared ownership and the remaining four for local market sale.