150 new homes for Cardea get green light but only 5 per cent affordable

The Cardea development in Stanground is set to receive another 153 homes, but only five per cent will be classed as affordable.

An application from Persimmon Homes was unanimously approved by Peterborough City Council’s planning committee on Tuesday despite 85 objections sent in by residents which included fears about a shortage of infrastructure and the levels of traffic.

The lack of new affordable housing - which is below the council’s 30 per cent target was accepted because otherwise the scheme would not be commercially viable, the committee was told.

Cllr Peter Hiller, who is also cabinet member for housing, said it was a shame not to have more affordable homes, but noted: “The development is already one of the cheapest and most affordable in the city.”

However, Cllr Stuart Martin said: “I’m disappointed yet again we are being asked to ap- prove an application that falls short on affordable housing. It’s part of our council policy for a reason.”

Cllr Martin added that the council would “lose an appeal” if it rejected the application.

This is because a previous application for 80 homes in Barnack, which the committee rejected, was overturned on appeal because the Planning Inspectorate ruled that the council had not “robustly” shown it had an adequate five year housing supply.

Cllr Peter Hiller