Agenda item

Janet O’Brien, Head of New Housing gave a presentation on the current Policy for adding to the Housing Stock and possible changes for the future.

Since the Southern Wiltshire Core Strategy Policy was adopted in February 2012, the council had worked with housing associations to help deliver more affordable housing. The Draft Wiltshire Core Strategy was submitted to the examiner in July 2012. A public examination of the document would take place in February/March 2013, with the aim of full adoption of the policy by Summer 2013.

The numbers of new homes to be identified around the South West are:

•          105 new homes to be identified in the Mere Community Area with 80 in Mere, 25 elsewhere

•          210 new homes to be identified in the Tisbury Community Area with 40 in Tisbury, 170 elsewhere

•          95 remaining new homes to be identified in the rest of the Wilton Community Area (the allocation for Wilton is included in Salisbury Area Strategy)

Questions and comments:

·         Will the affordable homes be to rent or buy? Answer: There would be a mixture of both. We look at the needs information for a particular area and look at affordability and then usually go for a mixture of both.

·         Who owns these houses once built? Answer: The developer will build the houses and then sell them on to a housing association to manage.

·         If only 4 households completing the rural needs survey said that they were in need of affordable housing, how many houses would you build? Answer: If the Rural Needs Survey came back and showed that only 4 houses were required, we would not be looking to over provide the need. If the need was not justified the project would not receive planning permission to build the houses.

·         If a developer was to build 4 or less homes, would he then provide the contribution? Answer: If a housing association wanted to build 4 homes, then the fee would be waived, but if it was a private developer then the fee would be charged. We would look at the value of the site, the cost of the development and what they could afford to contribute.

·         With regards to the ‘need’ of the affordable housing, when is this need, now or in the future? Answer: The Rural Housing Needs Survey is carried out every 5 years. If 4 households complete the survey and say that they are in need, then that need is now.

·         New affordable housing properties will be owned by housing associations, but there are local land owners who would be willing to develop a section of their land if they were able to keep control of the housing stock and manage the properties themselves. Answer: We are also looking at this option and are currently in talks with local land owners to find a way to work together to ensure that rents remain affordable. If a land owner could offer the same as a housing association then there would be a way forward.