THE 'DUTY' TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOMES
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We aver that the only way to force corrupt councils to the trough, is to make it a legal requirement to build low cost housing as fulfilling the basic human right to affordable accommodation - that has seen so many families rack up debt like there is no tomorrow. This might also include a cap of council taxes (rates). Every human in the United Kingdom should be provided with shelter. No more sleeping rough on the streets. No more Liability Orders!
It's no secret that many landowners sit on Parish, District and County Councils. And many more are mates with farmers and other landowners, some of which landowners, farmers and developers are wealthy enough to contribute to party funds. Or even bribe local planning officers. Typically contributions going to the Conservative party.
That explains why councils in the round have not identified a rolling stock of land for low costs housing, or exercised their compulsory purchase powers. They would be causing their mates to sell their land, for the common good. Farmers don't act for the common good, nor property developers. Usually, they act to make money. Turn grass into British beef and dairy products, and grain into cash crops.
In some States in America, every person has the right to shelter. The interests of the State, need to be balanced against the interest of the landowner. Where the State has a duty to provide affordable housing and councils are not doing their job. The State may invoke statute to force the pace of delivery of land identified as being earmarked for low cost homes. That is entirely consistent with the Human Rights Act 1998, where the interests (needs) of the state overrule the interests of the landowners, as per Article 8. Who would have purchased that land at agricultural values - in any event. Hoping to high heaven that they get lucky.
We stress that compulsory purchase should only be directed to buying land for the build of genuinely affordable homes for vulnerable families, young and single parents. To replace the duty of councils to provide council housing, taken away by Margaret Thatcher, in effectively turning whole generations in renting financial slaves.
In our view Sir Keir is taking the first tentative steps to correcting Maggie Thatcher's unashamed human rights violations.
ARTICLE
8 - RIGHT TO RESPECT FOR PRIVATE AND FAMILY LIFE
THE TELEGRAPH 24 JULY 2024 - STARMER'S 'HOUSEBUILDING REVOLUTION' COULD VIOLATE HUMAN RIGHTS
Compensation will likely instead always be based on existing market values – significantly slashing the amount landowners can receive for being turfed out of their property.
THIS IS HOW TO BREAK THE WINDFALL CYCLE
Councils might not afford that kind of risk as the developer, and in any event they would probably lose money on the deal where in Hailsham (for example) a flat is £160,000 thousand pounds according to Zoopla (in 2018) but to be affordable (index linked to the average wage in the area) such a property would need to be between £70,000 and £90,000. Hence, a council attempting a compulsory purchase in the Hailsham area would be facing a significant loss.
But Wealden have been snapping up farmland near the Boship roundabout and the Cart Barn on the other side of Hailsham - paying well over the odds - but even so, could divide up into plots for approved designs, so saving architectural and purchase fees, with a streamlined package for first time buyers and young families.
The real way to beat absurdly high land value claims, is to offer 340m2 square meter plots to those on the Self-Build register, for about £1,650 pounds per site. Thus valuing the land, just a little under £20,000 per acre. Which is twice the price of arable pasture in June of 2023.
The real reason Wealden has not done son before 2023, is partly to do with the Conservative grip on the agenda, where many of them are property owners, renting out a portfolio of property at the current market price. Which price would fall considerably, if land for affordable (low cost starter homes) were to become available. Hence, they red-flagged any proposal, other than just keeping a Register of interested persons. No way are they going to advertise, the requirements under the NPPF 2021, or they'd be flooded out with applications. Even so, 191 applicants on Wealden's Register, seeking serviced plots. But, do they need services?
These days water and sewage may be obtained and disposed of without connecting to mains services. The same applies to off-grid solar energy storage and supply systems. Hence, all that is needed for a flat-pack installation is the plot and a dirt track access. That is if we really want to keep things affordable. Such home come in well under £50,000 a piece.
OFF THE SHELF FLATPACK HOMES PRICE EXAMPLE
https://www.quick-garden.co.uk/log-cabin-house-holland-plus-13-5mx8-5m-44x28-ft-66-mm.html
£42,499.00 Winter Super Deal. Price After 1 February
2022 £63,467.00 You save: £20,968.00
£42,171.00 – on offer (@ January 2022).
Firms like Ikea are now investing heavily in factory built designs, so reducing the cost of housing.
PUSHING COUNCILS TO DO THE RIGHT THING
Council's are notoriously slow at producing local plans, and when they do they fail to identify land as a rolling stock that is earmarked for affordable housing - despite the fact that this is their function. This is because of drug money coming in from overseas, without any checks as to the legitimacy of the sums, as to taxes paid in the country of origin. And how the investors earned their money. The UK is the most corrupt country in the world in this regard. With the city of London being the international laundering capital.
We have then to take this function away from councils, setting both the location and the value for them by way of an Appeal to the Secretary of State.
Anyone can put in a planning application on land that is not owned by them, simply by putting the owner on notice of the application. Identify a suitable field and away you go. But!
Social housing groups cannot afford to test the water either - with speculative planning applications - because of the high fees for those proposals. Hence, we have a stalemate position.
Thinking creatively, if councils could be persuaded (and maybe this should be a statutory requirement to really get things moving) to waive fees in relation to applications for genuinely affordable housing, then social groups or pro-bono advocates might take up the challenge and help the council out. How?
We are not saying that councils should lose out on fees entirely, we are only saying that such costs should be recoverable once the new builds are actually built. So, nobody loses and everybody wins, it just takes a bit longer.
Then there is the matter of the community infrastructure levy (CIL). Yes, there is way around that too, but only if we are all prepared to be reasonable.
At the moment, we suspect that CIL taxes are being invested in fossil fuels for officer pensions - or something such like. Whereas, these local taxes should be spent on the community.
WHAT NEXT ?
Crafting a planning application ...... BACK - NEXT
Map of the Wealden District
LINKS
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/starmer-s-housebuilding-revolution-could-violate-human-rights/ar-BB1qwgpp
FARMING - The backbone of any society is the production of food to feed the population, though these days much of what we eat is imported from other producers, such as fish farmed in Asia. We can no longer find enough fish locally having exhausted our fisheries. Agriculture is also changing where we have drained the soil for so long with artificial fertilizers that yields will fall, meaning a shift to obtaining protein from the sea - but unfortunately we are disposing of around 8 millions tons of plastic in our seas - poisoning marine life that we need to keep us nourished. Food security is therefore high on the United Nations agenda via the Food and Agriculture Organization.
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