Affordable homes

The 40 per cent affordable housing element of the development has been secured by an agreement under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The development includes 853 residential units and 40 per cent of these (341) are affordable. There will be 128 available to rent and 213 for sale under the Homebuy shared ownership arrangement.

Within the section 106 agreement, the affordable housing will be let or sold in accordance with the local letting plan. This plan has been agreed by Brighton and Hove City Council and the Guinness Trust and states that the affordable homes to rent will be available to households in housing need, registered on Brighton and Hove's joint housing Register.

The homes will be let through the choice-based letting system and managed by The Guinness Trust, which already manages a number of properties in Hove and Whitehawk.

The affordable homes to buy will be targeted at key workers and working households in the city who are in housing need and cannot afford to purchase their own homes without financial assistance.

The current government definition of key workers includes teachers, social workers, nurses and occupational therapists.

In order to ensure that key workers become home owners, a financial assessment will be carried out on each applicant to ensure they can afford to sustain the costs of home ownership but cannot afford to purchase without financial assistance.

Based on valuation assumptions, I understand that a one-bedroom apartment will be targeted at households earning between £21,000 and £27,000 (sole or joint income) and a two-bedroom apartment to households earning between £29,000 and £38,000 (sole or joint income).

I hope this information reassures Ms Morris that the council has taken the necessary steps to ensure the affordable housing at the marina is guaranteed to go to those key workers with a genuine need.

• Councillor Craig Turton, deputy chair, environment committee Brighton and Hove City Council