Affordable housing at both the Parkway development and the upcoming Racecourse development are in doubt and at risk of further cuts, according to a report from Cllr Alan Law at Thursday's meeting of the West Berkshire District Council Executive Members.

It was revealed that the affordable housing quota within the Racecourse development is "not viable", and that in developments of this size developers often come back and ask for a reduction in the amount of affordable housing.

In a separate development, it was revealed that there are no funds available to insert the affordable units into the Parkway development. With an ageing population in West Berkshire proving to be a huge burden on the council and financial resources, how important is it to provide affordable housing within the district and do you believe the council would be right to accept a reduction in the number of affordable housing within local developments?

Quoted from Administrator

With an ageing population in West Berkshire proving to be a huge burden on the council and financial resources, how important is it to provide affordable housing within the district and do you believe the council would be right to accept a reduction in the number of affordable housing within local developments?

An ageing population!  And pray what do you suggest we do with us all...put us in a chamber and gas us.>>There, that's solved that one.
As for affordable housing, get rid of it.. We didn't have any help in my day..can you give me one good reason for it now?

Quoted from dodgy

An ageing population!  And pray what do you suggest we do with us all...put us in a chamber and gas us.>>There, that's solved that one.
As for affordable housing, get rid of it.. We didn't have any help in my day..can you give me one good reason for it now?

There are many people who cant afford the current mortgages so why shouldnt they get help?

Quoted from dodgy

An ageing population!  And pray what do you suggest we do with us all...put us in a chamber and gas us.>>There, that's solved that one.
As for affordable housing, get rid of it.. We didn't have any help in my day..can you give me one good reason for it now?

The reason we have an ageing population that is worse than our neighbours is because we dilute the affordable housing with more expensive property. This means those on low and middle incomes can't buy and as a result move elsewhere. With more affodable housing we can retaing younger people who will pay tax in the area and help relieve the burden than we are staring at. If we don't take action, we will be in a desperate position. You think it's bad now, being £2m overspent every year on adult social care, wait and see what happens in ten years if we don't change our attitude.

Nobody is suggesting that getting old is a bad thing. We just need to retain younger tax payers to help pay for the cost associated with looking after those who need care and support. It's time for Alan Law and Graham Jones to come clean, what is the plan for the Racecourse?

Ask the developer; they have all the aces.

Quoted from Greenham Common

Ask the developer; they have all the aces.

That's because the council left themselves wide open. Why on earth would you remove the minimum commitment in the LDF? I said this would happen, and it must have been the plan all along. How stupid were we to believe what they had to say at the time?

I wasn't stupid to believe it; I just don't have any power to do anything about it.

Quoted from Greenham Common

I wasn't stupid to believe it; I just don't have any power to do anything about it.

Like a lot of things, I actually took the council at it's word. People ask me why I'm so suspicious of the council, it's because of the amount of times they have misled me.

Quoted from Administrator

Affordable housing at both the Parkway development and the upcoming Racecourse development are in doubt and at risk of further cuts, according to a report from Cllr Alan Law at Thursday's meeting of the West Berkshire District Council Executive Members.

Affordable housing at Parkway?  It's a bit difficult to cut from zero.

Quoted from blackdog

Affordable housing at Parkway?  It's a bit difficult to cut from zero.

As far as I am aware, there is still an affordable housing content at Parkway.

Councillor Roger Hunneman is proud of the fact that he rescued the deal on the last occasion when Standard Life tried to back out. In fact I believe that they tried to back out of the whole project by saying it was not viable with an affordable housing content.

Sorry - forgot all the ramifications:

SLI tried to get the affordable housing at Parkway was removed in return for an S106 (or similar) payment of around £100k.
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/Article.aspx?articleID=6622

WBC  then got some affordable housing reinstated by committing £1,000,000 of WBC funds to pay for it.
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/Article.aspx?articleID=6733

So what is happening now? Are WBC trying to save £1million?

Quoted from blackdog

Sorry - forgot all the ramifications:

SLI tried to get the affordable housing at Parkway was removed in return for an S106 (or similar) payment of around £100k.
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/Article.aspx?articleID=6622

WBC  then got some affordable housing reinstated by committing £1,000,000 of WBC funds to pay for it.
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/Article.aspx?articleID=6733

So what is happening now? Are WBC trying to save £1million?

I think it's more of a case that SLI are in control of the situation, and the council are simply putty in their hands. It looks like West Berks will either have to stump up the cash, or accept there will be no affordable housing. That's the way I understand what is going on, maybe one ogf the elected members can post their understanding here or contact someone like BrianB with a statement through the NRA, and he can post it here?

On the other hand, the Racecourse still has 28% affordable housing within the planning consent. Nothing has been built. The council said they will not allow a dilution (despite removing the minimum commitment in the LDF). As they have a history of saying one thing and doing another, I won't hold out much hope of the council turning the developers away. But if they don't stick to what they said last year, it will be another case of the council breaking trust of those who elected them.

Social/affordable housing in Parkway will obviously devalue the rest of the development in terms of exclusive appartments overlooking Victoria Park. There are several occasions when WBC have given in to developers who have pleaded with them to remove the affordable housing content. The college site in Oxford Road is probably the largest of these.

Unfortunately the Conservative Cartel have such a large majority that they can more or less do whatever they want.

Quoted from richard.garvie

I think it's more of a case that SLI are in control of the situation, and the council are simply putty in their hands. It looks like West Berks will either have to stump up the cash, or accept there will be no affordable housing.

As I understand it we are already past that point - WBC are already commited to paying for the affordable housing (£1million).  In the current economic climate I can see how WBC might see this as an easy way to make a significant contribution towards their expenditure cuts.

Well, I was at the meeting the OP refers to on Thursday night, maybe this is a new development or the report is years out of date like the education one at the same meeting?

Part of the application for the John Lewis store re-jigs the second floor above the store. Because it comes forward to Parkway, there is an increased second floor garden area on the front roof but and this is the but, the secondfloor apartments which face southnow have a large plant room containing, I would assume, the air conditioning units etc. directly in front of them.  This is not shown on the artists impression (Massing perspective from the north east) but is clearly there on the site plan. (Block A Anchor 1 Second floor plan as proposed). I understand that this will not be a problem as those apartments are affordable apartments. With a large humming machinery plant room close to your front room for six apartments and the bedroom on four, I'm not surprised.

Oh and the loss of their view from the apartments to the north of the Anchor Store on first and second floors because they are now looking out of all their windows onto the wall of a John Lewis store instead of a fairly clear southerly view over Victoria Place which is now gone. (These could also form part of the affordable apartments.) so all is not lost.

Quoted from brian

Part of the application for the John Lewis store re-jigs the second floor above the store. Because it comes forward to Parkway, there is an increased second floor garden area on the front roof but and this is the but, the secondfloor apartments which face southnow have a large plant room containing, I would assume, the air conditioning units etc. directly in front of them.  This is not shown on the artists impression (Massing perspective from the north east) but is clearly there on the site plan. (Block A Anchor 1 Second floor plan as proposed). I understand that this will not be a problem as those apartments are affordable apartments. With a large humming machinery plant room close to your front room for six apartments and the bedroom on four, I'm not surprised.

Oh and the loss of their view from the apartments to the north of the Anchor Store on first and second floors because they are now looking out of all their windows onto the wall of a John Lewis store instead of a fairly clear southerly view over Victoria Place which is now gone. (These could also form part of the affordable apartments.) so all is not lost.

Perhaps WBC should save their million - looks like there will be some affordable homes anyway.

Quoted from blackdog

Perhaps WBC should save their million - looks like there will be some affordable homes anyway.

It's a win, win situation then which is great news.

You should not be able to have what you can't afford!
Credit, credit, credit...it's a killer in the end
We want a new 3 piece....so when I can afford it we will have one!

Quoted from dodgy

You should not be able to have what you can't afford!
Credit, credit, credit...it's a killer in the end
We want a new 3 piece....so when I can afford it we will have one!

So you want a new house and you save until you can afford to buy it for cash. Very good idea i dont think.
Not everyone is lucky enough to be in that position so what do you suggest they do in the meantime?.

Quoted from brian newman

So you want a new house and you save until you can afford to buy it for cash. Very good idea i dont think.
Not everyone is lucky enough to be in that position so what do you suggest they do in the meantime?.

Like I said..Can't afford......can't have..It's only LOGIC!  Sounds like you live off credit...

Quoted from dodgy

Like I said..Can't afford......can't have..It's only LOGIC!  Sounds like you live off credit...

I wish I could have bought my house with ready cash. Lucky you.

Quoted from dodgy

Like I said..Can't afford......can't have..It's only LOGIC!  Sounds like you live off credit...

Not many people these days have the ability to buy houses or cars outright.


Threep.

Quoted from Threepwood

Not many people these days have the ability to buy houses or cars outright.  Threep.

Not without having many already!

Quoted from dodgy

Like I said..Can't afford......can't have..It's only LOGIC!  Sounds like you live off credit...

Sounds like you dont understand the real world.
I guess you were one of those who were handed it all on a plate. Lucky you.  
Yes i have credit i have a mortgage.
You didnt answer my question but just came up with an off the cuff remark which is probably what could have been expected.

Dodgy Quoted from you back in September 2010

Affordable Housing?????????????????????? What the hell is that.. When I bought a house 26years ago I was earning £5 a week and we borrowed the deposit(£200) which we paid back over  a period, and our mortguage was 5 Guineas a month..That was bloody hard..We had no Washing machine and ran 2 minor footy teams..we washed their kits in the bath..and it goes on . Nowadays credit(the scurge of the modern world) is so easily available people would not even consider my policy of 'if you can't afford it you can't bloody well have it'..what on earth has happened to....well need I say more?
We got no help..we did it on our own, by getting another job  in the evenings for example...Affordable Housing..Get rid of..

So you did or do have credit  

Average UK Annual Salaries by year: (from the F.T.)

1970 1,801.30
1971 2,003.88
1972 2,262.18
1973 2,567.74
1974 3,023.55
1975 3,825.44
1976 4,419.69
1977 4,815.42
1978 5,440.25
1979 6,281.70
1980 7,585.53
1981 8,566.07
1982 9,369.56
1983 10,159.44
1984 10,779.08
1985 11,691.52
1986 12,615.15
1987 13,597.24
1988 14,778.08
1989 16,122.89
1990 17,689.37
1991 19,045.83
1992 20,208.51
1993 20,817.53
1994 21,592.65
1995 22,257.04
1996 23,059.85
1997 24,028.75
1998 25,274.48
1999 26,492.52
2000 27,682.89
2001 28,900.94
2002 29,952.88
2003 30,977.15
2004 32,333.61
2005 33,634.71
2006 35,018.85
2007 36,347.63
2008 37,704.10
2009 37,580.11

Dodgy says he was earning £5 per week 26 years ago. (1985)

The chart shows the weekly wage then to be £224.84. So either he was being very, very, underpaid or he's very, very, confused.



Threep.

oh.....and the average weekly wage of £5 was in the period 1939 / 40.

He probably wouldn't have been paying "5 Guineas a month" in 1985. When did we go decimal? 1971?

With the average house prices in 1985 beeing £31,105 and mortgage rates beeing an average of 14% in the same period my calculator cant see how dodgy managed to pay only £5.25 per month.
Perhaps i need a new calculator.
I will be interested in the reply  

The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813.[1] It was the first English machine-struck gold coin, originally worth one English Pound sterling,[1] equal to twenty shillings; but rises in the price of gold caused the value of the guinea to increase, at times to as high as thirty shillings; from 1717 till 1816, its value was officially fixed at twenty-one shillings. Following that, Great Britain adopted the gold standard and guinea became a colloquial term.

Listen up y'all.
My mistake was that we bought our house in 1970...that'l be 40 years ago...not 26.Everything else stands..
Now blow yer trumpets!
Blimey...didn't it cause a stir..

Quoted from brian newman

Sounds like you dont understand the real world.
I guess you were one of those who were handed it all on a plate. Lucky you.  
Yes i have credit i have a mortgage.
You didnt answer my question but just came up with an off the cuff remark which is probably what could have been expected.

NO, I was not handed it on a plate..is that the only way you know?  There are other ways you know..But that's  in the real world, which presumably YOU don't understand!

Quoted from dodgy

My mistake was that we bought our house in 1970...that'l be 40 years ago...not 26.Everything else stands..
Now blow yer trumpets!
Blimey...didn't it cause a stir..

Average weekly wage then was £35 pounds. Sure your £5 per week claim still stands?


Threep.

I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night half an hour before I went to bed, drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us and dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah.

And you try and tell the young people of today that ..... they won't believe you.

Quoted from Threepwood

Average weekly wage then was £35 pounds. Sure your £5 per week claim still stands?


Threep.

Yep!  And I'm far from the national average now !

Quoted from dodgy

Listen up y'all.  My mistake was that we bought our house in 1970...that'l be 40 years ago...not 26.Everything else stands..
Now blow yer trumpets!  Blimey...didn't it cause a stir..

Would you describe this house?

Quoted from Greenham Common

Would you describe this house?

I could, but goin to watch the footy now
See ya!

Quoted from user23.3

I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night half an hour before I went to bed, drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us and dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah.

And you try and tell the young people of today that ..... they won't believe you.

Sounds like your'e on drugs too!  They would therefore probably understand!
Now goin to watch footy.......

Quoted from user23.3

I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night half an hour before I went to bed, drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us and dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah.
And you try and tell the young people of today that ..... they won't believe you.

You were lucky,,..

Quoted from dodgy

I could, but goin to watch the footy nowSee ya!

I can wait.

Quoted from Greenham Common

I can wait.

Fraid you will have to..
and when you can afford it you can have it!  Bla Bla!
Buger...missed kick off..Shuddup everywun

Quoted from Threepwood

Average weekly wage then was £35 pounds. Sure your £5 per week claim still stands?  Threep.

Should we allow him one more go?  

Quoted from Threepwood

You were lucky,,..

I'm glad someone got it.

Quoted from dodgy

NO, I was not handed it on a plate..is that the only way you know?  There are other ways you know..But that's  in the real world, which presumably YOU don't understand!

I do live in the real world, unlike some.
I was born and raised in a council house and i am not ashamed to say that.
I have worked for what i have and i dont have to bullshit about it. I have never been handed anything on a plate except my meals from my mum when i was young.
You originally said you dont believe and dont have credit which is crap, you stated quite clearly that you "borrowed money for a deposit on your house and then had a mortgage. If thats not credit then what is?.
Over to you

  

Quoted from brian newman

I do live in the real world, unlike some.
I was born and raised in a council house and i am not ashamed to say that.
I have worked for what i have and i dont have to bullshit about it. I have never been handed anything on a plate except my meals from my mum when i was young.
You originally said you dont believe and dont have credit which is crap, you stated quite clearly that you "borrowed money for a deposit on your house and then had a mortgage. If thats not credit then what is?.
Over to you

  

OK you win nighty night!

Quoted from dodgy

OK you win nighty night!

I think you "won" sveral threads back  

For someone who bought his house in 1970 at the age of 21 making him 61 now i would have thought his memory would have been better about his wages etc hehe.  

Quoted from brian newman

For someone who bought his house in 1970 at the age of 21 making him 61 now i would have thought his memory would have been better about his wages etc hehe.  

Everything I said about my wages etc were correct thank you..
except my slip up on the number of years ago I bought my house..
see earlier quote.
Spose we all make a mistake sometime in our lives, including
some parents!

Quoted from dodgy

Everything I said about my wages etc were correct thank you..!

So, when the National average wage was £35 per week, who was it who was only paying you a fiver? I think the guilty party should be named and shamed...


Threep.

Quoted from Threepwood

So, when the National average wage was £35 per week, who was it who was only paying you a fiver? I think the guilty party should be named and shamed...


Threep.

Twas a subsiduary of Camber & Nicholson- shame on them!

Quoted from brian newman

With the average house prices in 1985 beeing £31,105 and mortgage rates beeing an average of 14% in the same period my calculator cant see how dodgy managed to pay only £5.25 per month.
Perhaps i need a new calculator.
I will be interested in the reply  

beeing???????

Quoted from dodgy

beeing???????

Would you describe the house?  If you don't live in it, what is its address?

Quoted from Greenham Common

Would you describe the house?  If you don't live in it, what is its address?

The house was a very small 2 up 2 down with a loo in the midddle of the garden..no roof...no walls...infact no seat...just a hole..We couldn't afford the electricity so we drilled into next door to steal some of their light..as we only had two bedrooms and 18 kids to bed down..we used to take turns of 25 mins per sleep period in the bed(singular)..spose someone will work out how much sleep each kid had through the night
(cuz they are out there arent' they?)..& no we have moved a couple of times since!
Arrordable Housing....Bo--o-ks!

Quoted from dodgy

The house was a very small 2 up 2 down with a loo in the midddle of the garden..no roof...no walls...infact no seat...just a hole..We couldn't afford the electricity so we drilled into next door to steal some of their light..as we only had two bedrooms and 18 kids to bed down..we used to take turns of 25 mins per sleep period in the bed(singular)..spose someone will work out how much sleep each kid had through the night (cuz they are out there arent' they?)..& no we haved moved a couple of times since!  Arrordable Housing....Bo--o-ks!

Your reluctance to be serious and answer the question suggests to me that you realise what my point was going to be.  So my reply mean time is b*ll*cks to people who object to affordable housing who were lucky to buy when houses were 'affordable'.

Quoted from dodgy

Twas a subsiduary of Camber & Nicholson- shame on them!

That will be C&N (Electrical) Ltd in Hambridge Road.

.....now they were good payers.

Quoted from Greenham Common

Your reluctance to be serious and answer the question suggests to me that you realise what my point was going to be.  So my reply mean time is b*ll*cks to people who object to affordable housing who were lucky to buy when houses were 'affordable'.

I'm glad you do have an opinion...I was beginning to doubt it..
Anyway well said..but you are incorrect  as I don't believe houses have ever been 'affordable'...that's why we all struggled initially, but it gets easier by the year..that's how it works and always will..You find it very very difficult to start with as I'm sure most of us did, but as time ticks away...those of us that have been through it know..but we come out of it on the right side most of the time.  Houses are still being sold so the dosh is there somewhere. But affordable housing...nah!
Anyway Emerdale is on..goodbyeeeeeee

Quoted from dodgy

I'm glad you do have an opinion...I was beginning to doubt it..

A bit rich considering I was waiting for you to answer a simple question way back (are you going to describe it or not?).  I'll otherwise make this assumption: you were happy to benefit by buying an 'affordable' house, but appear to wish to deny them to others.

You are right about affordable if we are talking about the adjective, but in this case it is a 'noun'.  That is, affordable housing is specifically houses that are within reach of potential households on modest incomes.  If we don't have starter home class buildings, then we will have nowhere for some people in Newbury to live.  Moreover; in the 'old days', creditors were obliged only to lend to people that could demonstrably afford it.  By definition you therefore bought an affordable house.

Quoted from brian

That will be C&N (Electrical) Ltd in Hambridge Road.

.....now they were good payers.

Well you never know, maybe they paid him what he was worth...


Threep

Quoted from Threepwood

Well you never know, maybe they paid him what he was worth...


Threep

Educated Sally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!