Content

To publish the JCS Affordable Housing Guidance
Note (AHGN)

Reasons for the decision

The JCS Affordable Housing Guidance Note
(AHGN), covering the three Joint Core Strategy (JCS) authorities
(Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury) has been prepared to
provide clarity and guidance around existing affordable housing
related policies found within the JCS and three authorities’
respective Local Plans. The AHGN will:
• Support the JCS authorities to making timely decisions on
planning applications,
• Support the creation of cohesive communities and delivering
much-needed affordable homes for residents in housing need.
• Inform future affordable housing-related policies within the
SLP by supporting proactive engagement with industry stakeholders
as part of day-to-day work and the wider SLP examination
programme.

Alternative options considered

The three JCS authorities considered preparing
an Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).
However, owing to the resource implications of completing this
document against the background of an ambitious Cheltenham,
Gloucester and Tewkesbury Strategic and Local Plan (SLP) timeline,
and the need to meet housing need and deliver more affordable homes
was challenging and would in due course be overtaken by updating of
policies via the SLP.
Another alternative option that officers considered was not
publishing an Affordable Housing Guidance Note (AHGN). However,
reflecting on experience of using the existing policies to date it
was considered that to secure better outcomes around affordable
housing delivery and community cohesion, the creation of guidance
to support the implementation of JCS policy was appropriate as a
proactive tool to work with developers and Registered
Providers.