About mixed tenure development

What is ‘Mixed Tenure’? In the context of housing, tenure means ‘the conditions under which property is occupied’. Domestic properties – homes - may be owned outright or secured on mortgage, or rented from the local authority, from a housing association, from a registered social landlord, from a private owner, or they may be subject to a shared ownership agreement. These are the principal forms of housing tenure, the key words being owned and rented. In a mixed tenure development, owned and rented homes share the same locality as a matter of planning.

Housing policy in the UK in the last 30 years or so has leaned strongly towards mixed tenure developments. In 1980 Right To Buy was introduced nationally - the legislation allowed tenants to purchase their council homes. Mixed tenure as a specific approach may be said to have come of age during the 1990s. Since then through its national planning strategy the Government has further recognised this form of housing. Following the Barker Report (Review of Housing Supply 2004) and through Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3) this has now evolved and the concept of making adequate provision for Affordable Housing  is now much more defined. In reality this now typically  translates to any new housing development comprising of more than 15 dwellings  including  a proportion of affordable housing of at least 35%.