Council approves 100% affordable housing development in Dinnington

AN amended proposal making a new development “100 per cent affordable housing” has been approved by councillors.

The application for landscaping, scale, internal access, external appearance and layout for 46 homes to the rear of 166 Swinston Hill Road in Dinnington was before RMBC’s planning board last Thursday.

Presenting officer Lisa Brooks said the land was in a state of “disrepair” and the front garden was “overgrown” and that the two-storey, redbrick property on the site was boarded up.

She said: “The principle of the development has been established — we’re only discussing the matters related to design, layout, external appearance and landscaping today.

“The proposition requires the demolition of [the property] 166 Swinston Hill Road in order to create a vehicular access to the site.”

The original proposal included allocating only one in four properties as affordable housing but the whole scheme will now come under that category.

Ms Brooks said: “All of the dwellings will be offered as shared ownership or affordable rent properties.

“They consist of semi-detached and mews-type properties, split between two, three and four-bed properties.”

There were six letters of objection, with the main issue being the possibility of the homes overlooking the gardens of the neighbouring properties but Ms Brooks said the amended proposal included new trees and hedge-planting along the access road.

She said: “We’re satisfied that the amendment will keep the overlooking to the minimum.”

Soulla Rose speaking for the applicant, Hoober Urban Partnerships, said: “The site will deliver a variety of properties to help and support the demand of the smaller and larger family accommodation within the borough.”

She pointed out the developers had committed to a “number of financial contributions to support local services and infrastructure”.

As part of the previously approved Section 106 agreement, these include £23,000 towards sustainable travel measures, £2,369 for improvement to the existing bus stop, £750 to fund a new gate and £16,591.74 allocated to a new equipped play area.

The application was approved unanimously.