One of the strategic enabling teams functions is to increase in the supply of affordable housing within Wychavon.
Our Partners
To deliver the new affordable homes we need, we work with:
Housing Associations
They are responsible for building and then letting or selling new affordable homes. The following housing associations are active in developing new affordable homes in our district:
- Platform Housing Group
- Rooftop Housing Group
- Bromford
- WHG
- BDHT
- Stonewater
- The Community Housing Group
- Citizen
- Sanctuary
- Legal and General Affordable Homes
Homes England and the Regulator of Social Housing
Homes England is a public body whose responsibilities include increasing the number of new homes built in England. They provide a range of important funding streams for new affordable homes. The Regulator of Social Housing is responsible for the regulation of ‘registered providers', such as housing associations, in England.
Developers and house builders
Section 106 Agreements
Many affordable homes on new housing schemes are built as a result of planning policies requiring them to be provided. In these cases, and also in the case of community-led schemes, developers are required to sign a legally-binding agreement to secure delivery of the required affordable homes and regulate their further occupancy. These agreements are known as planning obligations or Section 106 Agreements.
Planning Policy - Affordable Housing Threshold
The South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) was adopted on 25th February 2016 and it included policies for seeking developer contributions towards infrastructure including affordable housing (Policy SWDP15). That policy requires affordable housing contributions from sites which include 1 dwelling or more, including conversions.
The Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) was subsequently published in October 2016 and provides further guidance to developers on the councils approach relating to the delivery of affordable housing across the three south Worcestershire Council’s (Wychavon, Malvern Hills and Worcester City).
In July 2018 the Government published a revised version of its National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (subsequently amended in February 2019) setting out a new national threshold for the provision of affordable housing.
The NPPF is a material planning consideration and the 2019 version post-dates the adoption of SWDP and the South Worcestershire Affordable Housing SPD.
Types of affordable housing
- Affordable housing for rent through a housing association
- Build to Rent (also known as Affordable Private Rent) – properties available to rent under the private rented sector. The rent levels are at least 20% below local market rents (inclusive of service charges if applicable) for the same or equivalent property. Usually, tenancy agreements of three years or more are offered.
- Starter homes – if you are a first- time buyer, the Starter Homes scheme could help you buy a new-build home with a 20% discount. You must be below the age of 40.
- Discounted market sales housing - where you purchase a home at a discounted rate which is usually at least 20% less than the market value, and when you come to sell, the property will be sold at the same discounted percentage. For a copy of the Discount Market Sales application form, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Shared Ownership – You buy a share of your home (between 25% and 75%) and pay rent on the rest. Shared Ownership properties can be purchased from a housing association.
You can learn more about the scheme and what it has to offer by reading the Shared Ownership advice on the Help 2 Buy website .
To find a Shared Ownership home, please visit the Help to Buy Agent Midlands and London website.
You can also view some locally available shared ownership homes.
To apply for a Shared Ownership home, you will need to contact the Housing Association/Registered Provider selling or renting the property to express your interest. Before you can reserve a property or arrange a viewing you will need to have completed a Help to Buy application form and been approved for the scheme.
Identifying housing need
As a council, we regularly assess and puts in place plans to meet local housing needs, including affordable housing needs.
We assess housing need by:
- Strategic Housing Market Assessment
- Housing Register data
- Housing Needs Surveys
To address this need, we expect a percentage of most new housing developments to be affordable housing.
More detailed affordable housing requirements in terms of types, sizes and tenures are fixed on a site by site basis after considering: the housing needs of the district; any site-specific issues; and, in rural areas, the locality. However, as regards tenure, based upon the Strategic Housing Market Assessment the council normally expects the affordable housing to be 80% social rented and 20% intermediate housing products.
Housing needs surveys
We undertake rural housing needs surveys to examine current and future housing needs. The surveys are completed by households in the selected parishes. Each survey provides data that can be used to inform the planning of new housing developments and demonstrate the need for increased affordable housing.
- 2021 Dodderhill Housing Needs Survey
- April 2021 pdf North and Middle Littleton Housing Needs Survey (1.39 MB)
- March 2021 pdf Honeybourne Housing Needs Survey (1.30 MB)
- February 2021 pdf South Littleton Housing Needs Survey (1.41 MB)
- February 2021 pdf North Claines Housing Needs Survey (1.63 MB)
- April 2020 pdf Pinvin Housing Needs Survey (1.30 MB)
- February 2020 pdf Defford and Besford Housing Needs Survey (719 KB)
- February 2020 pdf Beckford, Overbury, Conderton and Ashton Under hill Housing Needs Survey (670 KB)
- July 2019 pdf Evesham Town Housing Needs Survey (878 KB)
- April 2019 pdf Offenham Parish Housing Needs Survey (1.15 MB)
- April 2019 pdf Norton-Juxta-Kempsey Parish Housing Needs Survey (1.16 MB)
- November 2017 pdf Broadway Parish Housing Needs Survey (560 KB)
- March 2017 pdf Pebworth Parish Housing Needs Survey (1.24 MB)
- June 2017 pdf Crowle Parish Housing Needs Survey (767 KB)
- June 2017 pdf Ombersley & Doverdale Parish Housing Needs Survey (1.25 MB)
Once the survey is closed, a report will be published and available on our website.
During 2021/22 we will be completing four housing needs surveys across the Wychavon district, these will be completed as follows:
- The Parish of Dodderhill
- The Parishes of Bishampton and Throckmorton
- The Parish of Hartlebury
- The Parishes of Norton / Lenchwick / South Lenches / Rous Lench
Consultation for the 2022/23 housing needs survey programme will begin in December 2021.