Affordable housing in the Selby area

Affordable housing includes social rented, affordable rented and intermediate housing for eligible households whose needs are not met by the housing market.

Affordable housing aims

Our aims are to:

  • meet the needs of eligible households including availability at a cost low enough for them to afford, determined with regards to local incomes and local house prices
  • include provision for the home to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households or, if these provisions are lifted, for the subsidy to be recycled for alternative housing provision

Affordable housing should:

  • meet the needs of eligible households including availability at a cost low enough for them to afford, determined with regards to local incomes and local house prices
  • include provision for the home to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households or, if these provisions are lifted, for the subsidy to be recycled for alternative housing provision

Social rented housing

Social rented housing is rented housing owned and managed by local authorities and registered providers, otherwise known as housing associations, for which guideline target rents are determined through the national rent regime

It may also include rented housing owned or managed by others and provided under equivalent rental arrangements to the above, as agreed with the local authority or with Homes England as a condition of grant. You can find out more about Homes England on the Government site.

Affordable rented

This is rented housing let by registered providers of social housing to households who are eligible for social rented housing. Affordable rent is not subject to the national rent regime but is subject to other rent controls that require a rent of no more than 80 per cent of the local market rent. This is capped by the local housing allowance rate.

Intermediate affordable

This is housing at prices and rents above those of social rent, but below market price or rents, and which meet the criteria. This can include low-cost home ownership, such as shared ownership, shared equity products, such as Home Buy, and intermediate rent, or rent to buy, but does not include affordable rented housing.

Affordability

In the case of social rented accommodation, social rents are set in accordance with the national rent restructuring guidelines.

In the case of affordable rent, they are capped by the local housing allowance rate.

And in the case of intermediate affordable housing, we use one of a number of recognised definitions of affordability based on gross household income. An owner-occupied or intermediate tenure property is generally considered to be unaffordable if it costs more than 3.5 times the gross household income.      

How affordable housing is provided

Affordable housing is provided mainly through housing associations in the Selby area. We have our own housing stock and plan to build more affordable housing in the future.

Housing associations develop both affordable housing for rent and low-cost home ownership in the area. The vast majority of low-cost home ownership is shared ownership. There are a number of housing associations operating in the Selby area.

Other providers currently developing include:

  • Together Housing 
  • Wakefield District Housing 
  • Home Group
  • Stonewater
  • Broadacres 
  • York Housing Association
  • Karbon Housing 
  • Thirteen Group
  • Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust 
  • Yorkshire Housing
  • Leeds Federated 

There are about 5,000 affordable homes in the Selby area. More than 600 new affordable homes have been developed between 2018 and 2022, with more than 350 being for rent and almost 300 being shared ownership.

Other ways affordable homes are provided

Homes are provided through:

  • the disposal of council-owned land to housing associations to develop affordable housing schemes 
  • section 106 planning obligations, which require housing developers to provide a percentage of a new housing development for affordable housing

The rural housing enabler

We also employ a rural housing enabler to support the development of affordable housing in rural settlements.

Our rural housing enabler works closely with the local communities, parish councils and housing associations to develop much-needed affordable housing in rural settlements.

By working with local people and housing associations they help provide affordable housing to enable local people on modest incomes to stay in their village and sustain communities. 

A key tool for delivering these homes is the rural exception site policy outlined in the national planning policy framework. This allows affordable housing to be developed on sites within or next to villages that would not otherwise be permitted, provided that it meets a proven local need. Such schemes must be sympathetic to the character of a village and remain affordable for local people.

The rural housing enabler has the skills and expertise to:

  • undertake parish wide surveys to assess local housing need
  • work with the parish council and others, such as housing associations, to explore ways of meeting identified housing need
  • liaise with landowners and local authority housing and planning departments to identify possible sites
  • facilitate community consultations
  • help to secure funding for affordable housing
  • act as an honest broker between parties as the project progresses, ensuring that the community is able to participate

Allocating affordable housing

Social rented

Rented housing owned and managed by local authorities and registered providers (otherwise known as housing associations), for which guideline target rents are determined through the national rent regime.

It may also include rented housing owned or managed by other persons and provided under equivalent rental arrangements to the above, as agreed with the local authority or with Homes England as a condition of grant.
 

Affordable rented

Rented housing let by registered providers of social housing to households who are eligible for social rented housing. Affordable Rent is not subject to the national rent regime but is subject to other rent controls that require a rent of no more than 80 per cent of the local market rent. This is capped by the Local Housing Allowance rate.

Intermediate affordable

Housing at prices and rents above those of social rent, but below market price or rents, and which meet the criteria set out above. This can include low cost home ownership (e.g. Shared Ownership), shared equity products, for example, HomeBuy and intermediate rent (Rent to Buy) but does not include affordable rented housing.