Tenure blind design in affordable housing delivery

Dependent on the type of affordable housing products being delivered and the delivery method, tenure blind design may be easier or more difficult to achieve successfully. For example, as intermediate housing is generally demand driven, the exact location of such units within private development may not always be specified at planning stage, as long as the overall proportion can be secured through a s76 Agreement (see Section 5.3). However, where a RHA is transferred land to construct affordable homes separately to private homes being delivered, achieving tenure blind design may be more challenging. In the case of Outline planning applications, this could be mitigated by agreeing a collective design code detailing external specifications and finishes to be applied, which should be submitted as part of any such application.