Clark blocks 94-home affordable scheme

Labour-led Ipswich Council planned to build 68 homes for affordable rent, 24 for shared ownership and two specialist homes for social rent on a brownfield site it owns in Ravenswood, which would be funded through the authority’s Housing Revenue Account.

Although Greg Clark agreed with the planning inspector that the development would “widen the opportunities for homeownership for those currently unable to do so in the open market”, he said it contradicts planning policy which states affordable housing “should not generally be grouped in clusters of more than 12 to 15 units”.

A planning inspector had recommended the application on brownfield land in Ravenswood should be approved following a public inquiry last September.

The government called in the application in January last year and the Department of Communities and Local Government published Mr Clark’s decision today.

Despite accepting the design, layout and external appearance of the proposed homes are “indistinguishable” from open market housing in Ravenswood and that there was no evidence to suggest the scheme would attract anti-social behaviour, Mr Clark said the scheme would conflict with the government’s aim to create “inclusive and mixed communities”.

Mr Clark said he was “mindful” the policy to avoid clusters of affordable housing of more than 12 to 15 units is only a “general guide” and that the size of clusters may vary, but the size of the Ravenswood development “represents an enormous deviation” from the policy.

The council argued a “large proportion” of affordable housing in other parts of Ravenswood are in “larger groupings” than 12-15 units.

However, Mr Clark said the proposed 94 affordable homes is “substantially larger” than any of the existing sites.

David Ellesmere, leader of Ipswich Council, said Mr Clark’s decision is “astonishing”.

He added: “I cannot think of another case in the country where a planning application has been turned down because the housing wasn’t expensive enough. The length of time it has taken the government to take this decision is likely to cost the council millions of pounds in lost rent, grants and increased construction costs. All the while, Ipswich families have been left languishing on the housing waiting list and jobs in the construction industry have gone unfilled.”