We broadly support this policy direction, as long as a) exception sites are only created in response to objectively assessed local need, and b) the clause “Rural exception sites will be allowed in the Green Belt only when it can be demonstrated that non Green-Belt alternative sites are not available” is rigorously enforced. We are concerned by the statement that “A small amount of market housing will be allowed on exception sites where it can be justified on viability or deliverability grounds”: there will need to be very clear and well-enforced rules about when this is allowable, with a quantified definition of “a small amount”, to avoid Exception Sites policy becoming a loophole for building on sites where development would not otherwise be permitted.
We are very pleased to see mention of “community led housing initiatives such as community land trusts,
co-housing and co-operatives” and would like to see these types of housing given greater policy emphasis.
We agree that rural exception sites must not be ‘squeezed out’ by First Home sites and support policies
intended to prevent this.