Page 90 - All files for Planning Inspectorate update

The seven folios do not include any narrative or recommendations on the number of
affordable dwellings (if any) that Dixon Searle would support. Their only benefit was (a) to
tick a planning box to mislead that the conditions of paragraph 2 above had been satisfied,

(b) that Mrs Blomfield notice could be processed and the application rushed
through and (c) members of the public would be kept in the dark on whether or not any
affordable housing was recommended. It is possibly yet another example of the deliberate
ambiguity that has been a thread running through the WH applications.

4. LAND VALUES, SURPLUSES AND DEFICITS
In simple terms, a is created when the residual land value (RLV) of a development
) exceeds the existing use
value (EUV) or alternative use value (AUV). In most cases a project is considered viable if it

creates a surplus subject to risk weighting - and unviable if it does not. The purchase price of
land is distinct from both the EUV and RLV and is almost irrelevant.

An excellent paper by Herbert Smith Freehills, for the City of London states:

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The applicant has valued (EUV) the WH:EDF site based on predicted rental income as an
active office building when it is far from that. It is a elephant and a relic of the Cold
War. It has remained unoccupied for around 18 months and is probably of little of no interest
to potential renters or buyers. It is, in fact, an unexceptional brownfield site of 0.64 hectares.
The Department for Communities and Local Government publication value estimates
for policy appraisal suggest an average value (nationally) of brownfield sites of 482,000
per hectare. At 0.64 hectares this would mean a that a BLV-EUV (without planning
permission) for the WH:EDF site would be between 300,000 to 500,000: not 2,900,000.

Such a valuation would make a massive difference to viability and the ability to support
affordable homes. Of course, planning permission depends on OAN and the Development

Plan. These limit the number of dwellings on the site to 22 to 23 units to remain as required
- in character with the village and scaling of adjacent properties.
5. OWNERSHIP OF THE WH:EDF SITE
The status and ownership of the WH:EDF site is confused;
st
It was purchased (presumably by AHL) for 2,900,000 on 1 March 2018
th
and valued at the same amount on the recent valuation on 27 November
2018;
However, the most recent known valuation (of 2,935,000) was by Martin
st
Campbell, Commercial Property Consultant on 21 December 2018.
There is no record of the March 2018 transaction on the Land Registry.
th
On 29 September 2017, the Land Registry records an agreement by AHL to purchase
the WH:EDF site:

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