Local Occupancy
Restrictions on Affordable and Other Housing
Within the South Lakeland District there are some properties which
have a legal restriction on who can occupy them.
Local occupancy is used
within the District to help to address the issue of second homes
and high house prices preventing people already living and working
in the area finding homes. This is a particular problem within
rural villages and the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales national
parks.
Some of these restrictions have been placed
upon the home as a planning condition at the point that planning
permission was given. These conditions will be stated in a Section
106 or similar agreement and will apply on a permanent basis. In
addition, South Lakeland District Council has also used its powers
to place local occupancy conditions on ex-council houses in
settlements of less than 3000 people.
Some of the homes with a local occupancy
restriction are also affordable homes and a
permanent discount on them keeping them below market prices. Only
people who can demonstrate that they cannot afford market prices
will be eligible to buy these properties. Others are restricted at
affordable rents and are generally let by housing associations.
The details of the restriction vary depending
upon who put the restriction in place and when it was put in
place.
The table below gives a summary of the
type of restriction that may apply. If you are interested
in purchasing a property with occupancy restrictions it is
important that you check the detail of the restriction on the
property in question by contacting the appropriate person.
Enforcement action can be
taken against people occupying these properties who do not meet the
occupancy restrictions. If you suspect this you can also report
this by using the table below.
Online information sources
You can view details of all planning
permissions since 2006 and search by Parish or Address using the
online planning application systems operated by South Lakeland
District Council and the two National Park authorities.
Search for
planning applications in South Lakeland outside the National
Parks
Search for planning applications in the Lake District National
Park
Search for planning applications in the Yorkshire Dales National
Park
|
Type of property
|
Type of legal restriction
|
What is the restriction?
(NB. summary only – check for full
details)
|
Who to contact
|
|
Most former council homes in rural
areas with population of less than 3000.
This applies to most former council homes
outside Kendal, Ulverston and Grange over Sands.
|
Covenant
|
Must be occupied by person(s) who have lived
or worked in Cumbria continuously for 3 years or more at the point
of occupying.
|
South Lakeland District Council
Tel: 0845 050 4434
Ask for
Legal Services on extension 7424
|
|
Properties in South Lakeland planning area
which have a local occupancy condition but are not
discounted or affordable housing
|
Planning condition – Section 106 agreement or
similar
|
Usually people who have lived in the South
Lakeland or the surrounding area for at least 3 years or are
employed in this area. The area includes SLDC area, Barrow Borough
area, most of Lancaster City DC area, some parishes in Eden DC and
Craven DC bordering South Lakeland
|
South Lakeland District Council – Development
Management
Tel: 01539 717353
Email: development.control@
southlakeland.gov.uk
|
|
Properties in South Lakeland planning area
with local occupancy and affordable housing
restrictions
|
Planning condition – Section 106 agreement or
covenant
|
The local occupancy restriction varies but
often restricts occupancy to someone who already lives or works in
the parish or surrounding parishes to where the home is
located.
|
South Lakeland District Council
Tel: 0845 050 4434
For information ask for the Affordable Housing
Officer on extension 7333
Email: housingstrategy@
southlakeland.gov.uk
For enforcement ask for Development Management
on extension 7358
Email: development.control@
southlakeland.gov.uk
|
|
All Properties in the Lake District or
Yorkshire Dales National Park planning areas which have local
occupancy restrictions (except former council homes)
|
Planning condition – Section 106 agreement or
covenant
|
The local occupancy restriction varies but
often restricts occupancy to someone who already lives or works in
the parish or surrounding parishes to where the home is
located.
|
Lake District National Park
Tel 01539 724555
Yorkshire Dales National Park Tel 01969
652349
|
In addition to any restrictions placed by the
planning system shown above most Housing Association properties in
South Lakeland are also subject to planning restrictions which
prioritise local people. For Council houses the ‘Choice Based
Lettings’ policy commencing in April 2011 also gives priority to
local needs in a number of rural settlements. Find out more about how choice based letting
works
If you are concerned that Local Authority
Housing is being misused, you should in the first instance contact
South Lakes
Housing on 01539 717717.
If you are concerned that property
administered by a Housing Association is being misused, you should,
in the first instance, contact the housing association
concerned.
The main housing associations active in the
District are;
Home Housing
Association
Impact Housing
Association
Two
Castles Housing Association
Northern Counties Housing
Association