HLP Chair David Hide and Secretary Ray Chapman delivered a petition to Horsham District Council today containing more than 650 signatures, all demanding that the Council deliver a minimum of 40% affordable housing on the West of Horsham development.The Labour Party delegation handed the petition to Gill Scarfield, Head of Strategic Planning and Performance, complete with a covering letter to the Chief Executive and Council Leader, demanding that the Council hold an emergency meeting to review its earlier decision to cave in to the developers request to reduce the affordable housing element down from 40 to just 20%.
David Hide Chair of Horsham Labour Party commented
We would like to thank Horsham residents who have got behind our campaign, this is a once in a life time opportunity to deliver such a significant amount of affordable housing. The Tory Council must not give in to the demands of the developer, if they are serious about meeting their own affordable housing targets and more importantly starting to address the chronic shortage of affordable housing within the District.
Horsham Labour Party Chair will meet up with Housing Minister, John Healey, this week to champion funding for more affordable housing and will take the opportunity to remind him that Horsham Labour Party has already written to the Secretary of State requesting that the Government call-in Horsham Council’s decision to accept a much lower percentage of affordable housing, as it flies in the face of the Council’s own Strategic Plan. It states that all developments of more than 14 homes will include a minimum of 40% affordable housing.
David Hide went on to say.
When I meet the minister I will alert him to the development currently being built in Tory controlled Chichester which is delivering 300 new affordable homes on a development of 750. If the Tories South of Horsham can meet their target of 40% why can’t ours? It appears to be nothing short of a lack of desire and political will to meet the needs of local residents in Horsham
The full text of the covering letter is:
Dear Sirs
Petition re Berkeley Homes’ Proposal for Development of Land West of Horsham.
We are concerned about the recent news that Berkeley Homes’ proposal for the development of the land West of Horsham limits the affordable housing element to only twenty percent of the total housing units proposed. In view of the high level of demand for affordable housing in our district, on behalf of the signatories of the enclosed petition, we call upon Horsham District Council to meet the commitment stated in the Council’s own Housing Strategy Document to ensure the delivery of a minimum of 40 percent affordable housing on this development.
We call upon the Council to debate, as a matter of urgency, this most serious of issues. We look forward to receiving details of the outcome of the debate and your response to the concerns raised by ourselves and the signatories of the enclosed document.
Yours sincerely
David Hide
Chair, Horsham Labour Party