POOLE has become the first place in the country to approve a starter home development under new government policy allowing 20 per cent discounts for first-time buyers.

Permission was granted to replace the former Pilkington Tiles building in Hamworthy with two four-storey blocks containing 58 flats at the borough’s May planning board meeting.

The decision came just days after the Housing and Planning Bill was given royal ascent, which has allowed a change of use for the land in question.

In December 2014 Prime Minister David Cameron used a visit to the Blandford Road site, now known as Carter’s Quay and being developed by Inland Homes, to unveil his plans for the starter homes scheme. This is part of a wider government bid to build 200,000 affordable homes for first-time buyers nationally.

Starter homes give developers the opportunity to build housing on under-used commercial or industrial land.

Explaining this to planning board members last week, the borough’s planning and regeneration manager Richard Genge said: “The Housing and Planning Bill has proposed that starter homes should be considered on sites where you have stalled employment or unviable employment sites.

“Whilst you have policy on this site that you should be delivering employment – and in fact you have an outline planning approval which specifies a level of employment on this site – the government policy and Housing and Planning Bill now says you should have due regard to starter homes.”

Mark Gilpin, planning director at Inland Homes, described the plan for the site as “a significant opportunity for this borough to be at the forefront of new legislation”.

Cllr Peter Pawlowski, chairman of the planning board, said: “This starter home initiative is a first not only for Poole, but for the country as a whole. More importantly, by tapping into this scheme, starter homes at a discount to market price will be provided to help first time buyers in Poole get on the housing ladder.”

The plan, which includes 19 one-bed flats and 39 two-bed flats, is one part of a larger site at Carter’s Quay.

This will also include a new quayside, a business centre for small and medium enterprises, a 200-bed budget hotel and provision for a link road to the port.