Policy H4 1B requires a minimum level of specialist housing to be provided on all residential development proposals of over 100 dwellings. Within the 2016 Viability Study commissioned by Harborough Council, there has been no assessment of the effect of this provision. This is clarified at paragraph ES7 of the Executive Summary. Therefore, the Policy has not been viability tested and is inconsistent with national policy. Paragraph 173 of the NPPF, states "the scale of development in the plan should not be subject to such a scale of obligations and policy burdens that their ability to be developed viably is threatened."

Notwithstanding the above objection even if the policy requirement could be shown to be viable it is considered that the size of specialist housing scheme being contemplated (10 units on the basis of 10% of a 100 dwelling scheme) is too small and therefore unlikely to be delivered. In our experience, most providers of specialist schemes for the elderly would only contemplate delivery of 40-50 units as a minimum in any single scheme. This would mean that the Policy should be focussing on a site threshold of 400-500 units rather than 100; assuming that the requirement remains at 10%.