Property companies looking for planning permission in Kensington and Chelsea may have to open their books and show the profits they make from private developments, as the council seeks to accelerate its social housing targets.
The proposals, outlined in a housing Green Paper, demand that developers applying for planning permission to build private homes include a higher percentage (35%) of affordable homes. If developers claim that this is “unviable” they must “demonstrate clearly why”.
READ MORE: Lessons from Grenfell
The report continues: “The only exemption to this is set as national planning policy. On small developments of a few homes, where it may be impractical to deliver any affordable homes at all and in those limited circumstances, the authority must consider taking a cash payment to build affordable homes elsewhere.”
Kensington and Chelsea has come under criticism for its handling of the Grenfell Tower fire in June last year.
After the fire, the council voted unanimously to end its contract with the landlord of Grenfell Tower. In January this year, the council took on direct control over the services previously handled by former landlord Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO).
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