TEN housing developers - including a string of well-known names - have attacked proposals from Barnsley Council which it’s claimed could more than double the cash contributions builders have to make from new projects.
They say it could cause major delays through developers appealing, with the possibility that some major projects may not go ahead if the new charging regime is adopted as formal policy.
The proposals form supplementary planning documents, rules designed to make the process of deciding the details around planning applications smoother.
Two suggestions have caused the most alarm among builders, a so-called ‘bedroom tax’ which would mean a charge of up to £1,500 per bedroom imposed on new developments to support sustainable transport projects, and new rules around how much developers should pay towards the burden new families would place on schools in an area.
Government targets have been set for the number of new homes to be built within the next five years and the council has been told in a letter from Leeds consultants Johnson Mowat -Â representing developers including Persimmon, David Wilson Homes and Barratt, Taylor Wimpey and more local firms including Orion Homes and Yorkshire Land - their proposals could jeopardise those targets.
A letter spelling out the companies’ fears says: “Our calculations suggest a typical major site’s SPD contribution would increase from £3,922 per dwelling under the existing rules to £8,100 per dwelling.
“This doubling will impact on the viability of many schemes and no doubt delay delivery.”
Matthew Gladstone, a Barnsley Council executive director, said: “The council is considering responses to the recent consultation and inevitably some supplementary planning documents have provoked more comments than others. Any amendments made as a result of the comments received will be reported to cabinet and full council in due course.”
