AGENDA ITEM NO.7
OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY PANEL

Date

/

30NOVEMBER 2006

Title

/ PROGRESS ON THE AFFORDABLE AND DECENT HOMES PRIORITY
  1. PURPOSE/SUMMARY
The purpose of this report is to update members on progress in delivering, the Decent and Affordable Homes2006/07 priority.
  1. KEY ISSUES
The Council set out in the Corporate Plan, five local priorities (DH1-5), to deliver the strategic objective of Decent and Affordable Homes for 2006/7.
  • DH1-The stock transfer ballot is underway with an offer significantly above Decent Homes put to tenants thus this objective has been met.
  • DH2-The Core Strategy Preferred Options document, and the Housing paper of the Issues and Options Site Specific, both address the key issues of mix, size, amenities and affordable housing. These will be supported by the Affordable Housing SPD, which has completed the issues and options stage. This is held-up, by the Governments delay in releasing Planning Policy Statement 3 on housing.
  • DH2-Fenland was successful in securing £6.4m, for the development of 208 units, by Housing Associations from the Housing Corporation round 2006-8. However, this falls far short of the one hundred and seventy four properties, required per year. Identified by the 2003 Housing Needs Survey, let alone the five hundred and sixty,per year,identified by the 2006 revision of the Housing Needs Survey.
  • DH3-A report presented to Cabinet on 16 November 2006, revised the energy tax credit and cashback grant scheme. This ensures Fenland has a comprehensive approach and integrates it within a broader framework, particularly the Authorities responsibilities to deliver Decent Homes in the private sector.
  • DH4-The Older Persons Housing Strategy is expected to be presented to Cabinet in December 2006. In the meantime, actions to take forward the strategy continue to be progressed, including a bid to the Department of Health, for an extra care scheme on the DoddingtonHospital site.
  • DH5-HMO licensing has been implemented successfully in accordance with Government timescales. It is limited by the fact that, mandatory licensing is limited to three Storey HMO’s which form a minority in Fenland.
  • Therefore DH1 and DH5 have now been substantially completed. The other objectives are underway and on target for completion.

  1. RECOMMENDATION(S)
(i)That the progress made is noted.
Wards Affected / All
Forward Plan Reference No.
(if applicable)
Portfolio Holder(s) / Cllr Kit Owen, Portfolio Holder for Housing
Report Originator /
Tim Mills, Director of Housing and Development
Contact Officer(s) /

Tim Mills, Director of Housing and Development

Background Paper(s) / Corporate Plan
Best Value Performance Plan

Progress on the Decent and Affordable Homes Priority

  1. Introduction

The Council set out in the Corporate Plan five local priorities, to deliver the strategic objective of Decent and Affordable Homes for 2006/7. These are:

DH1Undertake a stock transfer ballot to deliver housing quality significantly above the Decent Homes Standard.

DH2Ensure that the local development framework considers local housing mix and size, the provision of key amenities and through the Council’s enabling role maximise levels of affordable new build housing in line with our housing strategy.

DH3Offer energy advice to residents to enable them to improve the energy efficiency of their homes with particular emphasis on delivering decent homes in the private sector.

DH4Implement an Older Person’s Housing Strategy so that high quality sheltered housing is provided.

DH5Implementation of HMO licensing legislation.

2. Delivery of the Decent and Affordable Homes Priority

2.1Undertake a stock transfer ballot

Overview and Scrutiny Panel have considered the transfer process throughout its progress at their meetings held on 8 June 2006, 20 July 2006, 12 September 2006 and the

2 November 2006. As members will be aware from their most recent meeting, the transfer ballot is now underway and will finish on the 7 December 2006, at midday.

Members have considered the offer that has been put to tenants, which goes significantly beyond the decent homes standard, based on the feedback from tenants on their aspirations, additional elements include:

  • Overbath showers
  • Front of house/off road parking
  • Wooden boundary fencing
  • Security lights
  • Refurbishment of communal areas of unmodernised sheltered schemes

The offer also includes additional services, significantly beyond those that the Council can offer these include:

  • Increased people and equipment resources to tackle anti-social behaviour
  • Three additional scheme managers
  • Services for elderly and disabled
  • Handyman
  • Decorating
  • Gardening
  • Improved aids and adaptations service
  • Easy move service
  • Gold service

The Council is robustly correcting misinformation during the ballot period. It has sought to ensure that tenants are clear about the choice before them and that as many tenants as possible vote.

This objective has been achieved.The ballot is being undertaken and the offer significantly exceeds the decent homes standard, and provides far more services than the Council is able to. The choice is now in the tenants hands. In the event of a no-vote, the Council will need to establish in detail how it can achieve the £67,000 per year in management savings, plus savings in repair costs, necessary to just maintain the Decent Homes standard.

2.2Housing size and mix and provision of affordable housing

The Council undertook a Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) for the district in 2003.It has been updated in 2006 to take account of new information and provide a revised estimate of the affordable housing needed. The 2006 update, found that house prices had increased by 111% since 2000. Since 2003, the price of two-bed property has increased faster than the price rises of all other types. As a result, market housing in the District is not affordable for many local people. The 2003 Housing Needs studyidentified a requirement for one hundred and seventy four, affordable homes each year. The 2006 update shows, that the annual need for affordable housing has now risen, to five hundred and sixtyhomes a year. It is therefore a priority of the Core Strategy, to increase the supply of affordable housing in the District.

Based upon the above, the Preferred Options, Core Strategy element of the Local Development Framework, sets out the following policies:

  • Defines“affordable housing” as non-market housing, for identified affordable housing

needs with adequate subsidy, available to first and future occupiers.

  • Sets the target of affordable housing provision at a minimum of 174 units each

year.

  • Seeks a minimum of 35% affordable housing units, on market housing

developments of 10 or more dwellings, in urban areas and 3 or more dwellings, in ruralvillages subject to viability.

  • Identifies the Council’s preference for rented units, on the proposal site. The

developer’s contribution, is to be based on a minimum of free serviced land. The Councilwill determine the detailed contribution and amount of intermediate housing

through a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).

  • States the design, layout, and mix of types will be determined in an SPD, in

accordance with the need for mixed communities, public funding priorities, and

the Housing Corporation’s Scheme Development Standards.

Policies in the plan also sets out criteria against which applications for rural affordable

housing exception schemes can be assessed as follows;

  • A local need for affordable housing can be demonstrated for each scheme.
  • The housing should be affordable to those in need now and in the future.
  • The affordable housing to be available to those with a local connection and have

a cascade approach to availability.

  • The scheme consists of mostly rented affordable housing with intermediate

housing mix approved by the Council.

  • The scheme be secured by involvement of a Registered Social Landlord (RSL)

and through a planning agreement.

  • Such schemes be within, or at least, on the edges of villages, in order that

development be accessible to adequate local facilities by publictransport

  • Development be acceptable in terms of impact on the landscape.
  • Schemes should be capable of long-term management.
  • The scheme be of a size that is in proportion to the size/character of the

settlement. But generally no bigger than twenty five dwellings in the key service centres, fifteen dwellings, in the limited service centres and ten in the smaller villages.

  • No market housing units are allowed in the scheme.
  • Take account of Council guidance on bringing rural exception schemes forward.
  • The Council will also propose a small number of allocations for only affordable

housing using the above criteria in its Site Specific Proposals DPD.

The Housing Site Specific element of the Local Development Framework identifies Gorefield, Parson Drove and Guyhirn as having good services for their size and being suitable for specific affordable housing only allocations.

The Core Strategy and Site Specific Documents, will be supported by the Affordable Housing SPD, which has completed the issues and options stage. This is held up by the Governments delay in releasing Planning Policy Statement 3 on housing.

Policies in the plan will also indicate that general market housing schemes of three units or

over, should provide the following mix:

  • 60% of homes up to 3 bedrooms

General market housing schemes of ten units or over should additionally provide thefollowing mix:

  • at least 40% of homes with 1 or 2 bedrooms

Fenland was successful in securing £6.4M, for the development of two hundred and eight units by Housing Associations, from the Housing Corporation round 2006-8. Compared to £2M, for the development of fifty five units, over the previous two year round. The first properties funded through this round have just been completed at Station Road Chatteris by Hereward Housing Association.

2.3Energy Advice to residents

A report was presented to Cabinet on 16 November 2006, reviewing and updating the energy tax credit and cashback schemes (AppendixA). These build on the successful schemes that have run for the last two years. They are targetedat those residents not in receipt of full benefits. Coupledwith the schemes, offered by Warmfront and Feness, which offer grants and works to those on benefits, Fenland has a comprehensive system to assist all the residents in improving the energy efficiency of their homes.

The re-launch, of the two schemes, coupledwith the integration of the private sector housing and energy teams will enable the closer linkage of energy efficiency and delivery of decent homes in the private sector. The officers managing private sector grants and loans will be promoting the revised schemes, as a part of the overall package. We will also be collecting data on improvements in SAP rating (a method of measuring energy efficiency of a house) and of carbon reduction due to the measures.

2.4Implement Older Person’s Housing Strategy so high quality sheltered housing is provided

It is anticipated that the Older Person’s Housing Strategy will be presented to Cabinet on

21 December 2006. The strategy addresses far more than just the provision of sheltered housing, dealing with enabling people to remain in their own home and other alternatives to sheltered housing.

While the strategy has not yet been presented to Cabinet, this has not prevented actions which are an integral part of it, and that have previously been identified in reports, being taken forward. An example isthe submission of a bid for an extra care scheme for the DoddingtonHospital site. This is supported within proposals from both the Primary Care Trust and the local community alternative. Improvement of the communal areas and decent homes works to the individual, dwellings in unmodernised schemes are included in the transfer offer.

2.5Implementation of Houses of Multiple Occupation licensing

The Council has been successful in implementing the HMO licensing, in accordance with the timescale set by the Government. It needs to be remembered that the mandatory licensing scheme only applies to 3 Storey HMO’s and that the majority of HMO’s in Fenland are 2 Storey.

The Council made available application forms, guidance notes and supporting information about six weeks before the July ‘threshold’ date for commencement of the licensing enforcement powers. Given the tight timescales, for getting the licensing processes in place, local authorities were encouraged to exercise reasonable tolerance, provided that landlords were seen to be making progress with their applications. The Council has followed this principle and this has been successful.

We have so far received eight complete applications and allowing for processing, inspections and consultations, aim to be in a position to issue the licences for these by the new-year, progress is within government timescales.

There are also a couple of premises that had previously been in HMO use, where reduced occupancy levels currently exempt them, from licensing (one with resident landlord). We have reminded respective landlords of the need to licence, in the event of increased occupancy levels and are monitoring these.

The Wisbech town centre HMO, made subject to a prohibition order earlier this year, following fire damage, is now in the process of conversion under Building Regulations approval and will not be returned to use as a licensable HMO.

We are however concerned and are investigating two properties that we suspect should be licensed.

The Government has throughout this year run a national media campaign on HMOs and licensing.

The successful implementation of HMO licensing means that this objective has been achieved. The issue that needs considering in future is, whether, Fenland should seek to extend licensing to other HMO’s. The Government has just issued guidance on this issue and the Decent and Affordable Housing Policy Development Group will start to consider this matter on 29 November 2006.

3. Conclusions

DH1 and DH5 have been substantially or fully completed. Consideration will need to be given within the development of the corporate plan, to how these are extended or replaced.

The development of the Local Development Framework, has fully considered the issues identified in objective DH2. This is an ongoing process that will continue for at least the nexttwo years. It is important that the proposals identified are carried through the process andembedded in the final framework.

The framework has been re-established for energy advice. It has been broadened to ensure it is more comprehensive and integrated across the activities of the Council. As the Climate Change Strategy is developed for the Council, the operation and effectiveness of these schemes will continue to be monitored and if necessary revised. The key issue for the remainder of this year is the relaunch of the schemes to the wider public.

The delivery of the Older Person’s Housing Strategy, will be a long term issue with a time horizon to 2015/16. While the strategy has not yet been presented to Cabinet, actions to continue to develop high quality sheltered housing have continued.

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