Hart

Affordable Housing Supply

Why are there so few properties available each week?

Like many districts in the south of England, Hart has a demand for social rented housing much greater than it is able to provide for. The number of properties advertised each week is made up from new affordable rent properties being built in the district and from people leaving existing social rented properties.

So why are there so few new built affordable rented properties available in Hart?

Hart district is a picturesque and attractive area, with wide variety of landscapes and large areas of unspoilt countryside. As a result of this natural beauty much of the district falls within what is known as the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA).  This means that any planning applications within 5 km of the area for new housing developments may have an adverse effect on the natural habitat. As a result the number of planning applications which can be granted has reduced and the number of new build properties being developed is currently low. Hart requires 40% affordable housing on all new residential developments of 15 or more dwellings or 0.5ha - with the exception of settlements below 5000 population where it is 5 or more dwellings or 0.2ha. However if the number of planning applications granted is low then the number of social rented properties will be low.

They are still building on Elvetham Heath, will there be properties available there?

The SPA does not affect developments that already have planning permission, however in the case of Elvetham Heath all the social rented properties were built nearer the start of the development and have all been allocated.

Does this mean there will be fewer properties available in the future?

The decrease in new build housing supply is likely to be temporary (see the future projections for housing supply -taken from Hart's LDF Annual Monitoring Report - in the table below) but it means that the number of new affordable homes built in 2007/08 and 2008/09 is likely to be low. For more information the SPA and Hart click here or visit Natural England's website.

More frequently asked questions