LESS than 100 affordable homes have been delivered in Poole over the last five years, despite a huge need.

This is well below the council’s own target of 875 affordable homes for the same period.

The startling facts are revealed in the council’s recently published Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment which acknowledges that ‘Post-recession affordable housing delivery has been extremely poor in Poole’.

There is a report by the National Audit Office which points to the difficulties faced by first time buyers looking to get on the housing ladder and it cites lack of housing supply, together with the need for high deposits, as a barrier to gaining a step on the ladder.

In responding to a recent planning application, I am aware that one local resident commented: "… we have been registered with a home buy agent since 2007 and have been unable to secure a shared ownership property, because no new shared ownership houses are being built in Poole. The only chance of getting a shared ownership house is through a re-sale and these are very few and far between. When one does come up you are competing with lots of other families. We are stuck in a rental trap and are unable to save enough money for the large deposit required to buy on the open market …”

The council has been heavily reliant on town centre regeneration sites and small infill sites to meet identified housing needs. There are significant challenges and costs involved which, in many cases, renders the provision of on-site affordable housing unviable.

The lack of sufficient affordable housing has a real impact on the lives of local people and needs a bold response if we are to avoid disenfranchising an entire generation.

Local Registered Providers, such as Poole Housing Partnership and Sovereign are stepping up delivery, with a number of schemes in construction or in planning.

Whilst extremely welcome, this is unlikely to compensate for the significant shortfall or, in isolation, be sufficient to meet the future needs of the borough.

This is one of the issues that the council need to address urgently as part of their review of planning policies.

Brett Spiller

Director, Chapman Lily Planning Ltd, St Martins Lane, Wareham