Anger over changes to home building fees
PEOPLE wanting to build a single house are being charged as much as £40,000 by Harborough District Council under new rules.
The charges, known as Section 106 payments, are there to force developers to contribute toward affordable housing.
In the past, only developers building five homes or more have had to make the contributions.
But under the new rules - brought in with the council’s Core Strategy planning document last year - even people building single homes have to contribute.
The charge for a single home ranges between £22,000 and £40,000, depending where in the district it is built.
The issue was brought to the Mail’s attention by reader Janet Nichols, who said: “I wonder how on earth this is going to encourage people to build houses in the area, especially low-cost housing for the young to get on the property ladder?”
Cllr Sarah Hill said the new rules had been missed by most councillors when agreeing the Core Strategy.
She added: “It’s a difficult situation. I’ve already had a discussion with someone who wanted to build a couple of houses and has to pay it. It is the result of situations in the past where builders have worked the system to avoid payments for affordable housing – this way everyone who builds contributes.”
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Friday 18 May 2012
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