Plans put forward by the council’s development company, BexleyCo, to repurpose the former Bexley maternity hospital were narrowly passed by the local authority’s planning committee last Thursday (July 31).
In total, 121 new homes will be provided on the site, with the hospital building refurbished and three new blocks of flats built as well as a row of terraced houses.
But opposition Labour councillors have criticised the number of affordable homes that will be built as a “derisory amount”.
Most homes will be for private sale, with just 18 shared ownership flats qualifying as affordable housing.
An independent viability assessment put forward by BexleyCo suggested that once the development costs and developer profit are considered, the value of the land would be £1.1 million in deficit.
They said this meant that it was not possible to build any more affordable housing into the scheme.
However, councillor Larry Ferguson, Labour’s planning spokesperson, pointed out that BexleyCo was set to make £6.1 million in profit from the development.
He said: “Residents raised concerns about the lack of social housing in the Bursted Woods application, at a time of a housing crisis in Bexley and rising costs of temporary accommodation.
“Bexley’s Tories agreed for their property arm BexleyCo to make £6.1m profit whilst denying residents homes they can afford.”
Although the vote at the planning committee was tied, Conservative chair Cllr Kurtis Christoforides was able to cast a deciding vote, paving the way for the scheme to be approved.
A Bexley Council spokesperson said: “The proposed scheme was appraised by the viability assessment consultant, in line with prevailing planning policy and guidance, and it was deemed that 18 shared ownership units was the maximum to ensure viability and delivery at this stage.
“A review mechanism exists and if market conditions improve, additional contributions to affordable housing can be achieved.
“This is a safeguard built into the planning process to ensure fairness, viability and delivery.”
