BUILDING work on affordable homes in Test Valley has been reduced – but a local councillor says the pandemic is not solely to blame. 

Homes England data shows building started or was completed on 242 affordable homes in Test Valley in 2020-21 – 122 fewer than the previous year.

The number of schemes was also much lower than 2017-18, when 298 affordable homes started being built or were delivered.

Of the schemes progressing in the area in the year to March, 138 affordable homes were completed, including 60 affordable rentals, 17 social rentals and 61 affordable ownership homes.

But county and borough councillor Nick Adams-King told the Advertiser that nitrate neutrality is the biggest issue locally. 

"The pandemic has had some influence, but far and away the bigger issue in the last two years impacting the construction of affordable housing (indeed of any housing) in Test Valley has been the nitrate neutrality problem," he said.

"Our inability to issue planning permissions as a result of the nitrate problem has been the primary reason.  We’re clearly now in a much better position as we have been able to create nitrate credits thanks to our collaboration with Roke Manor Farms which will bring forward many of those affordable homes stuck in the planning system.  

"Test Valley and indeed much of Hampshire, has had a unique issue with which we have to deal rather than just blaming it on the pandemic."
Across England, 28,191 affordable homes were started in 2020-21 – 21% fewer than the previous year.

The proportion of affordable homes completed also dropped by 15%, to 24,023.
Housing charity Shelter says with over a million households on the waiting list for a social home, any drop in affordable house building was a big problem.
Polly Neate, the charity's chief executive, said: "If this slowdown continues because developers lose confidence, the dream of a safe and secure future gets even further out of reach for many.

"This just shows that we can’t only rely on private developers to build the housing we need – the Government needs to pull its weight and start building homes itself too.

"By investing in a new generation of social housing, it could provide families with genuinely affordable homes while also supporting the construction industry and boosting the economy.”

PricedOut, a campaign group for affordable house prices, says it wants to see the Government press ahead with the reforms proposed in last year's planning white paper to boost supply.

Reuben Young, affordable homes lead, said: "The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a huge drop in new housing supply, and because the supply of affordable homes closely tracks the supply of market homes, this has meant fewer affordable homes too.

"We need to make sure this is just a blip rather than a precedent."

Peter Freeman, Homes England chairman, said he was confident the housing sector would recover, thanks also to a new £12 billion Government-backed scheme to develop affordable housing.

He added: “The statistics show that we’ve kept making homes happen despite the huge impact of Covid-19 on the housing industry.
“We know there are still hurdles to overcome but we’re encouraged by recent data to suggest the sector is recovering well."