Sheltered housing builder defies council's demands

by Kathy Watson



McCarthy and Stone is threatening a showdown with Wokingham District Council in a battle over planning gain.

The sheltered housing builder believes councils are increasingly making unreasonable demands for planning gain and that it is time to make a stand.

In this case McCarthy and Stone applied to build 32 sheltered flats on a site formerly used by a scrap car dealer. Wokingham responded with a request for £95,000 for a library plus money for affordable housing and bus services.

"None of these items is directly related to our needs," said Gary Day of The Planning Bureau which acts for McCarthy and Stone.

"We are already providing for specific housing needs locally with the scheme, giving the opportunity to redevelop a non-conforming use in a residential area by putting into use a heavily contaminated site."

"We take exception to this unless it can be justified. Other developers pay up but we will not."

For the council, Carol Rimmer, development control manager, said the conditions were standard for applications over 10 houses or 150m2.

"We are not unique. The Berkshire County Structure Plan specifies that contributions will be sought from developers where the local authority feels there will be a strain on services.

"Developers can seek pre-application advice from us. If McCarthy and Stone feels it cannot contribute that amount, it should come back and talk to us. There is always flexibility," she said. Rimmer said she would welcome Government clarification on the issue if McCarthy and Stone resorts to an appeal. "If that is the threat from McCarthy and Stone, let them write to the Department of the Environment."

l According to figures for 1997/8 just released, most local planning authorities are failing to make the target of 80 per cent of all planning applications decided within eight weeks.

The planning minister called the current performance of 62 per cent overall "unacceptable" and voiced concern that performance had deteriorated in each of the last two years.

He announced a review of consultation procedures together with a £30,000 contribution towards a good practice guide to be drawn up by the Planning Officers' Society.