CORLEY HOUSING NEEDS SURVEY
UPDATE FROM 2011
August 2013
Contents Page No
Summary of Results 3
Planning Context 3
Survey Results 5
Resident’s Comments 7
Properties for sale and rent in the area 15
Contact Details 16
Summary of Results
300 forms were distributed throughout the village at the request of the Parish Council due to consideration being given to the site at Corley Nurseries, Church Lane, Corley so some of the 80 responses (27%) that we received back will have site specific comments.
The previous survey which was done in September 2011 with no site in consideration showed that the following was needed within the village:
· 6 x 2 bed Low Cost Home Ownership
· 1 x 2 bed Social Rented Bungalow.
In reply to this survey, we have managed to establish that the main requirement is for low cost home ownership and the results from the residents that we have been able to contact are as follows, these comments also include part of the need that was established last time although we did not receive feedback from all of the past consultee’s.
· 3 x 1 bed affordable rent flat/house
· 2 x 2 bed affordable rent bungalow
· 1 x 2 bed low cost home ownership bungalow
· 8 x 2 bed low cost home ownership houses
Planning Context
Planning policy at all levels (national, regional and local) imposes considerable restraint on new housing development in rural areas. There is, however, capacity for this restraint to be relaxed in exceptional circumstances where new housing would meet an identified local need.
Policy HSG2 of North Warwickshire Borough Council’s Local Plan adopted in July 2006 deals with the provision of Rural Exception Sites as an important source of affordable housing within or adjacent to existing villages.
The submitted Core Strategy 2013 when adopted will replace, in part, the saved Local Plan policies. The Core Strategy states in Policy NW4 that in Corley, which ios classed as a Category 5 Settlement that:
“Only affordable housing where there is a proven local need and it is small in scale and does not compromise important environmental assets” will be permitted. Sites that are released for this type of development will remain affordable in perpetuity.
When making applications for such sites, it is expected that evidence will be provided of local need based on research within the settlement and its hinterland. This report, based on the Housing Needs Survey will b e provided as evidence of local need in Corley Parish.
Any housing that may be provided as a result of this survey would be subject to a planning obligation, known as a S106 agreement, being placed on the development. This would limit occupation of the homes to people with a local connection. In the first place, priority will be given to those who currently live or work where the development is taking place.
Summary Results
Do you own your own property or do you rent from any of the following?
Owned Property – 74
Private Landlord – 3
Housing Association – 1
Local Authority – 1
Employer - 1
Do you need to move to larger or smaller accommodation, either now or in the foreseeable future, but are unable to do so because you cannot afford suitable property in the area?
Yes – 12
No - 68
Do you have any family or dependents (either living with you or elsewhere) who wish to purchase their own home in Corley, but cannot afford to buy in the open market?
Yes – 17
No - 63
In your opinion, do you think Corley suffers from insufficient housing provision for local people and their families?
Yes – 30
No - 50
Do you think that Corley should provide affordable homes for people who do not live, work or have a family connection to the village?
Yes – 11
No - 69
Residents Comments
· My concerns regarding a development of housing in Corley are: The impact a number of homes will have on the village. I have teenage children can't get local (village) jobs because the work is not here with extra people , jobs will be even harder to find. How people qualify for a house, couldn’t they just sell to make a profit? Having seen developments going up in other villages, there usually unsightly. Are services ready for more houses? Buses, Schools etc.
· Unless you leave your property to your children, I cannot see my children being able to ever live here in the future as house prices are high. Only people who are buying are from other places. Also old people there are only a handful of small bungalows in Church Lane, so if you are an older person, what can you do, sell and live in a care home.
· We are in favour of the site being turned into a residential development, however we do feel this should only be for low cost home ownership or shared ownership/shared equity with some better homes i.e. bungalows for elderly local people who may need to downsize etc later in life. The housing should be offered initially to Corley residents and I feel this way will keep Church Lane residents happier. Access to the new site must be good and parking for the new houses with at least 2/3 spaces per house not on Church Lane which is really busy and dangerous at school times.
· Would like to downsize but there are no suitable properties to buy in Corley for retirement.
· We do not believe there is any need for any additional housing in Corley. In addition the proposals for social housing and/or rented accommodation are inappropriate for the Corley area. The services infrastructure in Church Lane will not support additional housing: - in the last 2 years the drains have had to be unblocked on a number of occasions by Severn Trent - the water supply is intermittent - the reservoir having to be topped up by water tankers on a number of occasions particularly over the last couple of years. - we have old overhead electricity and telephone supply systems - the internet service is extremely slow and will be further reduced if additional houses are built. - there are no social services in Corley Village - ie no shops, post office, school etc. - the bus service is very infrequent and does not provide out of normal hours travel In relation to the proposed development - we cannot see that anyone will be willing to pay a high price to purchase houses which are on the same site as social housing, particularly in such close proximity. In practice many builders on new housing sites have had difficulty in selling highly priced houses when social housing has been built and on some sites building has been brought to a stop completely and houses have stood empty for years because of lack of sales e.g. the Miller Homes site in Daventry. In addition the housing market in and around Corley does not seem to be particularly buoyant as there are, and have been, a number of houses which have been up for sale for long periods of time and have not been sold.
· What’s the point of affordable housing if there are no jobs, nearby shops and they are going to have to use car to get anywhere. I think they were awarded special planning permission for nursery and other buildings. If building has to go ahead make it a business park with living accommodation, that way you are housing people who can afford to use their car for doctors, shops etc as there are no local services and an occasional bus service that probably has to be subsidised. Housing unemployed people with no amenities is not a good idea
· The situation for many of us is currently that our homes are depreciated due to the recent mining and subsidence. We cannot sell in the area so my position is that I still have my son living with me and cannot downsize myself and have the money to help him to get on the property ladder. My only option for the moment is to carry on working and living in property that is too large and expensive to maintain and he has to remain living at home. My son does not drive and is on a low wage so any move for him would have to be affordable.
· With careful consideration we object strongly to SOCIAL HOUSING. However shared ownership for LOCAL Corley people sounds ok. We believe that Corley does need more housing but not just families but elderly people who want to downsize to bungalows maybe. We would like the council and parish council to consider the possible development of 8/10 bungalows on our property as part of this development or later date, our land maybe green belt but upon any development next door we would only be in filling land. I believe this would not put any further pressure on the local school and help retired local people to downsize to a more manageable property without leaving the area.
· Most properties in Corley are too large and expensive for first time purchasers! A small amount of affordable houses can only be good for the village. However, the proposed site in Church Lane does seem to be possibly heading for problems particularly with the water supply. Already there are times when there is no water coming out of the tap! This problem does need addressing before any development begins. Parking is also a big problem in Church Lane. We already have approx 20 houses opposite the Village Hall and many of these properties have no off road parking so have to park on the main road, causing terrible problems when large agricultural vehicles need to pass. Two parking spaces per property is not usually sufficient.
· My grandson, partner and grand daughter live with me and I would like them on the housing register. We cannot afford to keep providing a home for them, I do not want to see HOWEVER unnecessary building in Corley. The current proposed site should be RETURNED TO GREEN BELT BECAUSE IT WAS CHANGED BY DEFAULT.
· There should be more affordable housing for young people in the village.
· I am a carer for my disabled brother and the property where we live is only a two bedroomed property and there is 3 adults living in the property, I have lived like this since the year of 1996 as I separated from my husband where I had my own property in Kingsbury, but was not offered anything from the Council, also my mother was not offered a property from the Council when she and my disabled brother had to leave Stone House Farm, Corley Moor in the year of 1990 when my Dad tragically passed away because they had no where to live until offered this property
· We chose to move to Corley as there are few houses and are all privately owned. Why increase the population here? If people can't afford to move here than this isn't the area for them and they should look at surrounding areas where houses are cheaper. No one helped us to purchase our house and we certainly didn’t get it with a percentage off! We say NO to any new developments in Corley whether it be executive or affordable.
· We were surprised to see that the housing/planning application had been refused and felt that it was a good use of an industrial/commercial site. More housing is required and that area would have been perfect. It’s in the hub of the village with the church and village hall and there are already council houses in that area. A mix of private and housing association would have been good for the area in general.
· I believe the housing in Corley is adequate for the needs of the local community. However, I have no objection for the site to be used for housing, but not low cost local authority properties.
· Corley has enough dodgy houses thanks to the coal board. We don't need any more built by Cassidy!
· My son would love to be able to live in Corley village and stay close to his family. It is important to keep family together these days so we can easily help one another. Housing affordable to couples and young families is also important for village life; it stops a village form dying and keeps the schools and shops from closing. We don't need older wealthy people moving in and we don’t want houses going out for rent for others to make a profit. Please help the village!!
· There are a number of properties for sale in Corley and have been for a while. This would not suggest insufficient availability, but more of a pricing issue. Having recently bought in Corley and having paid a premium to do so, I would feel slightly disappointed if a number of below market value properties became available for sale. I wouldn't mind however full market value properties becoming available.
· Do not see housing an issue in the area.
· Corley needs more housing. The site in Church Lane was a very good choice.
· It would be nice if Corley could have youngsters who wish to stay. But with so few amenities it is an area which doesn't appeal to many youngsters and older folk have to move in their old age because of the lack of conveniences. We know of people in Corley Moor who would like to move but can't at the moment because of damage from underground mining, which hopefully will be put right when the coal board makes up its mind. These houses will probably have to be sold at a price less than the owners could have expected prior to the commencement of mining. As regards the land of the old nursery now up for grabs. We feel this land should have homes built on it rather than industrial units and the homes built should be offered to people of this area first. To let them go to outsiders would be defeating the object you have in mind.