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Affordable Housing: East Sussex

Asked by Josh BabarindeLiberal DemocratMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled Answered 28 January 2026UIN 107221

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what affordable housing targets apply to a) Eastbourne and b) East Sussex.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook

National planning policy makes clear that it is for local planning authorities to assess the affordable housing need of their areas, including the need for social rent, and set policies to meet this local need. This includes setting out the proportion and type of affordable housing that should be delivered on new development.

The government does not set individual social and affordable housing targets for individual areas.

The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including proposals designed to further support the delivery of affordable housing. This includes support for affordable housing in rural areas, proposals to give affordable housing needs clearer weight in the planning system and specifying a minimum proportion of social rent housing that would be required of major development unless otherwise specified in development plans. The consultation on changes to the NPPF can be found on gov.uk here, and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

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