Rural Housing Enabling in Berkshire

How do we sum up a year (April 2015 - March 2016) that presented more challenges than opportunities for delivery of rural affordable housing?

A new government was hell bent on introducing new legislation that would seek to end the housing crisis, but on the basis of homeownership and reducing planning obstacles for developers. As anyone working in rural communities will tell you, it is the absolute lack of access to rented tenures in the countryside that are the real problem for the lower paid. 

Traditional ‘affordable’ housing tenures began to look as though they would be cast aside. The Homes & Communities Agency, already no longer funding social rents by the end of 2015 announced that there was no grant to fund so called affordable rents either.  

The Housing and Planning Bill introduced (Enacted May 2016) a new definition of ‘affordable housing’ that includes a new tenure, ‘Starter Homes.’  What was immediately obvious was that Starter Homes were for outright purchase on the open market and were only ‘affordable’ by dint of a 20% discount on the purchase price and limits on resale for 5 years. The developer is able to provide the discount because he is no longer required to pay any other S106 contributions on these types of houses.

In addition to ‘Starter Homes, the Bill (Act) introduced the Voluntary Right-to -Buy for people renting Housing Association properties, but on rural exception sites we have always promised that these homes cannot be sold under right-to buy.  

The year has been dominated by uncertainty and as a result Arlene Kersley, CCB’s Rural Housing Enabler has focused much time on the national picture and responding to consultation after consultation to try to ensure that rural affordable housing is still recognised as a cornerstone in keeping rural villages sustainable.  Many of you may have seen the regular online blog written by Arlene during the year which is also featured in our e-bulletin.

So by December there were question marks over the future of the project. The gravity of the situation meant that we had  Arlene as the keynote speaker at CCB’s 2015 AGM.  Truthfully she has never been a ‘glass half empty’ character, but it certainly felt that way.  We are happy to report that we are still here a year on, though we are having to review how we will fund future activity, as our traditional model is unlikely to be sustainable.

Locally things have not been any clearer.  

The Berkshire wide Strategic Market Housing Assessment was finally published in February.  Berkshire Unitary authorities cannot have been too surprised that the findings indicated significantly higher housing figures than previously planned for.

Rural Parishes in Berkshire cannot be blamed for feeling under siege and exhibiting a reluctance to step-up for rural exception site development with all of this uncertainty.

The Berkshire Rural Housing Partnership, celebrated its 10th anniversary in September 2015, however funding cuts threaten the future of the project.  Record cuts at Local Government level and funding changes in development grant for Housing Associations have resulted in a significant review of priorities.

In Berkshire only one Housing Need Survey was completed during the course of the year, in Theale.  Stratfield Mortimer had a survey to inform the Neighbourhood Plan there at the beginning of the year, but it was with some concern that the Regulation 14 version of their plan made no reference whatsoever to local needs housing.  This was rectified in their examination submission.

The Rural Housing Enabler continues to advise parishes across West Berkshire, although in the future housing need surveys will need to be funded directly by Parish Councils. CCB is sincerely grateful to our long standing Rural Housing Partners that have stuck with us throughout the years.

Neighbourhood Planning

During the course of the year Arlene was made a Locality Neighbourhood Planning Champion in recognition of the work done to date in training groups and providing support to the Hurley and the Walthams Neighbourhood Plan (HWNP) in Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead. 

By the end of March the HWNP will have completed its Regulation 14 consultation and be preparing for submission for examination.

Arlene also conducted a facilitated Neighbourhood Planning Workshop for Crowthorne Parish Council to determine whether Neighbourhood Planning will add value there.  We were pleased to see that in March the Binfield Neighbourhood Plan was made as Arlene had provided training to this group to help them get started. 

Further Neighbourhood Planning Training is planned for 2016-17.