Issue - meetings

To consider a draft outline Housing Strategy for the Borough.

RESOLVED that a Housing Strategy and Action Plan for the borough be developed and brought back to the Executive.

Councillor G.J. Knight, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Housing and Benefits, submitted a report providing an outline Housing Strategy for the Borough.

Councillor Knight explained that the outline strategy set out the Council’s commitment to enabling increased housing choice for residents and for those working in the borough who wanted an opportunity to live where they worked but could not afford to do so.

The Executive was informed that the Council had continued to meet or exceed the Core Strategy target of delivering 460 additional homes a year. Councillor Knight explained that developments across the borough needed to provide affordable housing – 30% of all projects in excess of 14 homes and 35% on green field sites. It was also recognised that the National Planning Policy Framework had made it more difficult for developers to plead economic viability in order to avoid their obligation to provide affordable homes, yet it was noted affordability remained an issue.

Councillor Knight explained that the Council needed to explore various options and opportunities to increase housing choice. The outline strategy highlighted a need to explore a range of options, including: opportunities to agree housing delivery vehicles on a specific site basis; working with public land owners to redevelop underused/redundant land and to encourage owners of empty homes to return them to use; reviewing the Council’s own land holdings for housing delivery potential; delivering supported housing for single homeless people with complex needs; and the need to review Core Strategy targets and density levels whilst maintaining good design.

During the discussion, a variety of matters were considered, including: the importance of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability; housing delivery targets; shared equity schemes; and the importance of learning lessons from other local authorities.

In response to questions, Councillor Knight stated that the final strategy would be considered by the Executive in September 2019 and would cut across several portfolios. It was noted that the strategy would support objectives in the emerging Corporate Plan (2020-2025) and would be supported, for appropriate projects, by the Capital Investment Strategy.                 

RESOLVED that a Housing Strategy and Action Plan for the borough be developed and brought back to the Executive.

Reason for decision: To support the draft Corporate Plan (2020-2025) objective of securing more homes that are affordable to local people. The outline Housing Strategy sets out the Council’s commitment to enabling more housing choices for residents and those who work in the borough who may want the opportunity to live close to where they work but can’t afford to do so.

Alternative options: To proceed with a different scope, to defer the development of Housing Strategy until after the draft Corporate Plan (2020-2025) is adopted, or to not support the development of a Borough Housing Strategy at all.