Redhill and Horley car park housing should be social and affordable, opposition councillors say
Car parks in Redhill and Horley should be used primarily for social housing rather than sold to private developers, opposition members at Reigate & Banstead Borough Council have said.
Last month the local authority voted to market the Gloucester Road and Horley High Street car parks with a view of building 100 homes across the two sites.
Opponents called out the decision, saying it would cut precious town centre spaces that act as a lifeblood to traders and parents on school runs. There were also concerns that private developers would severely restrict the amount of social or affordable homes built.
On Wednesday, October 21, the decision was called in for review, with the committee recommending more weight be given to the need to build low-cost homes- and to consider working in partnership with housing associations.
Those who backed the original plan, however, said the car parks were among the few brownfield sites in the borough suitable for development, and that the market would determine how many affordable homes could be supported.
The call-in was brought forward by Green Party councillor for Redhill East, Jonathan Essex, who said it flew in the face of the council’s recently adopted policy of prioritising affordable homes.
He said: “The executive meeting in September deviated from the stated purpose for development of council-owned assets for affordable and social housing, made just a year ago.
“It is really important that we develop and use those sites consistently with the purposes created for the housing reserve a year ago. Residents will be concerned if councillors make commitments one year and then a year later change that commitment.
“The way to prioritise social and affordable housing on a site is to allocate it for social and affordable housing. Maximise the financial contribution from the government to deliver social and affordable housing and make sure that’s delivered here in our borough.”
Councillor Michael Blacker (Conservative: Reigate) was also opposed to the loss of parking and said recent history suggested that selling to a developer would result in few to no affordable homes.
The council’s leadership team said it was acutely aware of the need to address housing waiting lists in the borough, but the decision leveraged the sites to deliver affordable housing while also serving taxpayers’ best interests.
They also stressed the car parks had not yet been sold and they would listen to what the market could deliver before making firm commitments.
Councillor Ben Green, portfolio holder for finance and assets, said: “We would like to have affordable and social rent homes. We would like to have as many as can be economically fit on that site.
“But we would like to have new homes, so if the decision is ‘would you like no homes, because it’s not viable to put affordable homes there, or would you like some market price homes than no homes at all?’”
Council leader, Richard Biggs, added: “The Horley site specifically is very challenging for trying to deliver what our development management plan said we would on it.
“I know some time ago there were multiple options looked at with registered providers to try to do something on the site. The fact is, it was very difficult to do. House prices in Horley, in general, are lower than in other areas of the borough, which makes balancing costs even trickier.
“There are exceptional difficulties with access and the railway.”
The decision will go back to the council’s executive committee, expected to take place on November 19, to consider the recommendations of the overview and scrutiny committee.