Issue - meetings

1.    That the Housing Development Strategy 2025-2032 be adopted.

2.    That the Service Lead – New Homes be authorised to make non-material amendments to the Housing Development Strategy 2025-2032 from time to time, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Good Homes.

RECOMMENDATION: 

That the contents of the presentation be noted and that the views of the committee be sought. 

Caroline Egan, Service Lead - New Homes Delivery, introduced the item which provided an overview of the updated Housing Development Strategy 2025 to 2032. The introduction included the following points:

1.    The strategy was updated due to significant economic changes, including increased interest rates and build cost inflation, and a slowdown in affordable housing providers acquiring Section 106 units.

2.    The 2024 resident survey identified the availability of affordable housing as the most urgent issue facing communities, reinforcing the need for an up-to-date strategy.

3.    The council's target was to add 1,000 new affordable homes to its stock between 2020 and 2032 through a combination of acquiring Section 106 units and building new homes.

4.    The strategy prioritised building in areas of highest need, including rural areas, and ensuring all schemes represented good value for money.

5.    The council's priority tenure was social rent, with shared ownership as the preferred low-cost homeownership option. A strong focus would be placed on the energy efficiency of all new homes.

6.    Significant consultation had been undertaken with members, officers, and external stakeholders. The final strategy was scheduled to be presented to Cabinet in November 2025 for adoption.

Ian Tait addressed the committee. He noted the strategy's supportive statements regarding other affordable housing providers but questioned what tangible support the council made available to them. He referred to his recent experience with the Winchester Housing Trust but believed that when the Trust had approached the council, no support was offered.

He expressed concern that the council was now acquiring most of the Section 106 units, which could result in a shift in delivery from registered providers to the council, rather than an overall increase in affordable housing numbers.

The committee was asked to note and provide comments on the contents of the presentation.

The committee proceeded to ask questions and debate the report. In summary, the following matters were raised.

1.    A question was asked how shared ownership properties could be ensured to be genuinely affordable, considering issues such as high service charges and resale difficulties in rural areas where staircasing was limited.

2.    Clarification was sought on how the strategy would protect residents from overheating, and whether requirements for air conditioning could be embedded in new developments.

3.    A question was raised regarding the extent of consultation that had been undertaken with registered providers and what did registered providers identify as their needs from the council to encourage development.

4.    A question was asked about how the strategy integrated with the homelessness strategy, specifically in planning for the types and locations of temporary accommodation required.

5.    Clarification was sought on what the development strategy does once a specific housing need has been identified.

6.    A question was asked about how the strategy would address the challenges of cost and land availability to deliver housing in rural areas.

7.    A query was raised about what could be done to provide more single-person accommodation to meet the significant need from various groups.

8.    A question  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7