Supplementary planning documents (SPDs)

Affordable Housing SPD

Our Affordable Housing SPD ^{(PDF, 1.8mb)} was adopted in 2008 and a draft update was consulted on in 2011 ^{(PDF, 1.5mb)}. The SPD sets out the council’s approach to securing affordable housing as part of residential development. It expands on the policies contained within our Development Plan.

What we mean by affordable housing

Our definition of affordable housing is: 'Meets the needs of households whose incomes are not enough to allow them to buy or rent decent and appropriate housing in their borough.'

Within our planning policies we identify two types of affordable housing:

1. Social rented housing
2. Intermediate housing

Affordable rent

Following the introduction of affordable rent, we clarified our affordable housing policies in a report which was agreed at planning committee in December 2011 ^{(PDF, 68kb)}.

View and download the supporting documents for the SPD below:

• consultation report ^{(PDF, 170kb)}
• equalities impact assessment ^{(PDF, 130kb)}
• sustainability appraisal ^{(PDF, 849kb)}
• list of registered affordable housing providers ^{(PDF, 22kb)}

Intermediate Housing Affordability Threshold

Shared Ownership Affordability Thresholds

Households with incomes of between £60,000 and £90,000 have needs that can be met through Shared Ownership homes (provided the market value of a Shared Ownership home does not exceed £600,000). Southwark only considers Shared Ownership housing to be appropriate for households with incomes close to the locally and annually set Shared Ownership income eligibility thresholds.

As of February 2022, the council’s shared ownership affordability thresholds are as follows:

• one, two, three and four bedroom units to be affordable to households with total incomes of £52,825, £62,416, £72,454 and £82,170 respectively, assuming that no more than 40% of their net income is spent on mortgage, rent and service charges
• net income is defined as 70% of gross income

The table below sets out Southwark’s Shared Ownership affordability thresholds from 2012 to 2022.

Page last updated: 13 June 2023