Chichester District Council
Issue

Issue - meetings

Housing Strategy 2020-25

Meeting: 03/03/2020 - Council (Item 99)

Housing Strategy 2020-25

The material relevant to this item is the report on pages 19 to 21 of the Cabinet agenda for 3 March 2020 and pages 1 to 25 of the Cabinet appendices for 3 March 2020.

 

At the time of printing the following recommendation was due to be made to Council:

 

That the Housing Strategy 2020-25 be adopted.

Minutes:

The Chairman invited Mrs Graves to introduce the item and drew attention to the report which could be found on pages 19 to 21 of the Cabinet agenda for 3 March 2020. She confirmed that there was one recommendation to Council detailed on the agenda front sheet.

 

Mrs Graves explained thatthe purpose of the Housing Strategy is to set out a long term vision of the council’s aspirations for meeting housing need over the next five years. The strategy replaces a number of separate documents which have been produced in the past, the intention being to provide a single comprehensive housing strategy covering:

 

·         Homelessness

·         Private sector renewal

·         The delivery of new affordable housing

 

Mrs Graves then clarified the aim to provide a concise statement of the council’s priorities, indicating the reasons why these priorities had been chosen and setting them in the context of the resources opportunities and constraints. She explained that the Strategy aims to strike a balance between producing something which is detailed enough to be meaningful but concise enough to be readable and accessible. The strategy is the product of work with a variety of stakeholders and partners and has been the subject of consultation with members including the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. It represents an ambitious but achievable plan to respond to the pressing housing issues so many residents face.

 

With reference to page 7 of the agenda pack Mr Johnson drew attention to the number of homes being built on the coastal plains which do not account for the affordable housing numbers set. Mrs Rudziak explained that the affordable housing figures are under review and if the delegation were to be approved could be amended under delegated powers in line with the Local Plan Review.

 

Mr Johnson requested clarification on whether certain locations would be required to have a specific number of affordable homes or whether the figures are for the district as a whole. Mr Frost explained that how best to meet the affordable housing need would be a matter for Cabinet and Council going forwards.

 

Dr O’Kelly referring to page 22 of the agenda pack emphasised the need for housing to identify what is needed to boost community resilience. She requested clarification of how the districts housing stock can achieve the zero carbon targets and suggested that a strategy be put in place. Mrs Plant explained that the Environment Panel would be considering the council’s own buildings primarily.

 

Mr Brown requested the addition of a clear definition of affordable housing. Mrs Lintill explained that the same request had been raised at Cabinet in the morning.

 

Mrs Lishman requested confirmation that the figures detailed at point 6 on page 2 of the appendices pack of 1000 affordable homes by 2025 remain accurate. Mrs Rudziak explained that the figures are intended although the locations are yet to be defined.

 

Mr Hughes requested the following considerations be made when creating the strategy:

 

·         The green agenda

·         Infrastructure

·         Enforcement of council standards on Registered Housing Providers

·         Relating  ...  view the full minutes text for item 99


Meeting: 03/03/2020 - Cabinet (Item 116)

116 Housing Strategy 2020-25 pdf icon PDF 66 KB

The Cabinet is requested to consider the agenda report and its appendix and make the following resolutions and recommendation to Council as set out below:

 

1.    That the Cabinet approves the Housing Strategy 2020-25 and recommends its adoption by the Council.

2.    That the Director of Housing and Communities is granted delegated authority to make modifications to the Strategy in order to align with the emerging Local Plan Review.

Additional documents:

Decision:

*RECOMMENDED TO THE COUNCIL

 

1.    That the Housing Strategy 2020-25 be adopted.

2.    That the Director of Housing and Communities is granted delegated authority to make modifications to the Strategy in order to align with the emerging Local Plan Review.

Minutes:

Mrs Graves introduced the report. She explained that the purpose of the Housing Strategy is to set out a long term vision of the council’s aspirations for meeting housing need over the next five years. The strategy replaces a number of separate documents which have been produced in the past, the intention being to provide a single comprehensive housing strategy covering:

 

·         Homelessness

·         Private sector renewal

·         The delivery of new affordable housing

 

Mrs Graves then clarified the aim to provide a concise statement of the council’s priorities, indicating the reasons why these priorities had been chosen and setting them in the context of the resources opportunities and constraints. She explained that the Strategy aims to strike a balance between producing something which is detailed enough to be meaningful but concise enough to be readable and accessible. The strategy is the product of work with a variety of stakeholders and partners and has been the subject of consultation with members including the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. It represents an ambitious but achievable plan to respond to the pressing housing issues so many residents face.

 

Mr Western then provided details of the key elements of the Strategy as follows:

 

The strategy is in four parts:

 

The first section provides an introduction to the purpose and role of the strategy and the national and local policy context. The second section provides an overview of the local housing market identifying the key pressures primarily associated with the high cost of housing in relation to local earnings. Much of this data reflects research which is been carried out to support the Local Plan Review. The third section examines the background to the three Corporate Plan Objectives for housing.  These are:

 

-          To Provide Support for those that Need It (e.g. reducing homelessness and rough sleeping)

-          Ensure Housing is Used Effectively and is Fit for Purpose (e.g. Private sector renewal and the allocation of social housing)

-          Increase the Supply of Suitable Housing in the Right Location (increasing the provision of new affordable housing)

 

The narrative within this section explains why the priorities have been set and provides a little more background to the specific opportunities and constraints in relation to each. The fourth section provides a matrix in which eight strategic housing objectives are set out which support the Corporate Plan objectives previously described. Within the matrix the left hand column sets out broad objectives which can be used to measure progress over the next five years.

 

Mr Western added that for each of the eight objectives the current position and the overall objective are outlined. The left hand column represents strategic actions, long term actions against which we can measure success over the period. The right hand column provides an Action Plan defining specific actions which contribute to each of the objectives. The actions are likely to change over the life of the strategy and will form the basis of annual service plans which measure progress.

 

Decision

 

The Cabinet then voted to make the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 116


 

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