£200,000 stage offer by property developer (From Keighley News)

£200,000 stage offer by property developer

10:27am Thursday 8th November 2007

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A property developer has promised to fit out a village hall - in exchange for not building affordable housing.

Skipton Properties, which is currently building an estate of 31 homes, including a replacement village hall, at Acre Mill, Cowling, wants to extend the develop-ment into an adjacent greenfield site. It has submitted a planning application for 13 additional homes.

And it has told Craven District Council that it will install a hydraulic "rising" stage in the hall at a maximum cost of £200,000 if it does not have to include affordable homes as part of the extension plan.

In a supporting statement to the application, it says: "On the basis that the development falls below the national minimum threshold for affordable housing, the applicant is willing to give a planning obligation to enhance the community benefit which is being provided as part of the adjoining Acre Mill development.

"The applicant will fund the installation of a hydraulic stage to the value of £200,000."

The supporting statement, by Skipton Properties' property lawyers Walton and Co, Leeds, points out that a hydraulic stage would maximise the use of the village hall.

The latest application to the district council is a replica of an earlier application submitted in June and rejected by councillors as "in-valid" because Skipton Properties failed to take into account affordable housing.

Skipton Properties has appealed to the Secretary of State against the decision and in the meantime has submitted an identical applica-tion to the council in a bid to win permission.

The supporting statement points out that although the application site is greenfield land, it adjoins the previously developed brownfield sites of Acre Mill and Carr Mill - both of which are subject to planning proposals. It adds the latest application is a small extension, the infrastructure would be able to support it and it would meet the council's housing needs.

Craven District Council has a policy requiring 40 per cent of new housing developments to include affordable housing, where there is a proven need.

Aire Valley district councillor Mark Wheeler said he hoped that a compromise could be found.

He said: "Perhaps there is a mediated route through this where affordable homes can be agreed and the stage also be built - the number of affordable homes could be shaved by a couple of units.

"Both Craven District Council and Skipton Properties and chairman of planning need to sit down and rework the mathematics to deliver a solution that will satisfy housing need and community resource."

Skipton Properties' development at Acre Mill features 31 new homes and a replacement village hall, costing £500,000. The hall is in the process of beng built and will replace the old 100-year-old village hall.

A spokesman for Skipton Properties said: "We can confirm that we have submitted plans for 13 new homes in Cowling but due to the fact that it falls below the threshold to provide any form of low cost housing, we will, if granted permission, contribute £200,000 towards the cost of installing a hydraulic stage within the new village hall as a gesture of goodwill."

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