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Affordable Housing

Affordable Housing is an important issue for many market towns.

The housing market has been suffering for some time now.  Between October 2007 and February 2009, house prices dropped 21%.  Whilst the situation has improved (house prices are now, on average, only 9% below 2007 levels (Nationwide), great disparities still exist regionally.

On top of this, the supply of affordable housing that exists – that is housing affordable to, for example, first-time buyers and keyworkers -falls short across England, especially in the southeast and east, where only 1 in 20 districts has affordable housing.

There appears to be an emerging trend among first-time house buyers too, to purchase larger homes, instead of flats for example.  This may in part be due to the fact that they are buying later in life and often have children by the time they get a foot on the property ladder.

For market towns in particular, the need to install more affordable housing was noted in Matthew Taylor’s report on the rural economy and affordable housing in 2008.  This highlighted the overall need for more houses to contain an increasing population, with a suggestion that these houses might be placed in existing towns.  The need for careful planning and integration of new housing was flagged in order to ensure that new properties, and their occupants, become part of the exitsting town, and existing dwellers of that town see the benefits of growth.

AMT Policy Position Statement for Affordable Housing

AMT recently commissioned some work to explore the issues surrounding the provision of affordable homes in more detail, to form the basis of our Affordable Housing Policy into Practice Paper and feed into our Position Statement and Campaign Plan for this campaign area.

AMT Policy into Practice Paper

Affordable Housing is an important but extremely complex issue.  The Policy into Practice Paper has been developed to give practitioners working within market towns an understanding of the current policy guidance as regards enabling and delivering affordable housing within market towns.

It details current government policy thinking at a national level and how this thinking has been disseminated into regional and local policy to enable affordable housing within market towns.

Affordable Housing Case Studies

We have developed a series of case studies on the subject of Affordable Housing.

We would welcome your experiences in developing affordable housing within your market towns, in particular your experience of:

  • Working with housing associations and private developers;
  • Source of funding in addition to Homes and Communities agency grant and housing association finance that you have been able to access to develop affordable housing;
  • Arrangements for community participation in shaping the planned development;
  • Examples of specialist accommodation provided within market towns that have serviced the town itself and the rural hinterland.

Also, in preparing this Policy into Practice paper there are a number of recommendations relevant to organisations working to improve affordable housing supply in market towns.  These include national government and their regional partners, local authorities and registered social landlords and individual residents and community groups concerned about the future growth of their community.

RECOMMENDATION 1 – Assumed level of knowledge

Within the majority of guidance and advice in relation to affordable housing and the planning system, there is an assumed level of knowledge which is above the level of knowledge that perhaps practitioners working on the ground have in this policy area.  There has been significant change in government’s approach to enabling housing and planning policy following most notable the Barker Review and Taylor Review.

We would ask that future guidance is created in an approach with does not discourage community members from wishing to find out more.

RECOMMENDATION 2 -  Master planning

The Taylor review called for a different approach to developing affordable housing within rural communities and we would support and encourage this approach.  Master planning is a process to map a strategic vision and plan for development that takes into account not just the buildings, spaces and street plans but also the social and environmental contexts of the community to provide a plan for achieving a fully shaped place.

In preparing their Sustainable Community Strategies we would ask that local and regional authorities adopt this approach for all communities where housing supply is to be targeted.

RECOMMENDATION 3 – Partnership working

Effective partnerships are not necessarily those with the responsibility to enable affordable housing (local authorities, RSLs, HCA, Regional Assembly and private developers) and need to include all sections of the community from business interests to organised community groups.

We would ask for all projects to increase or regenerated housing supply that a stakeholder analysis is undertaken that incorporates all interested parties.  This in turn should inform community participation practices as regards housing development and regeneration.

RECOMMENDATION 4 – Effective community participation

The Taylor review noted ‘Enquiry by Design’, a process developed by the Princes Trust to help communities understand and shape what new and existing communities want from development.  The event would be undertaken during the course of the design process bringing together relevant information about the site and sets out to harmonise this with the aims and aspirations of the community.

We would ask ‘Enquiry by Design’ becomes standard practice and seeks to involve all interested stakeholders.

RECOMMENDATION 5 – Willingness to accept change

A sustainable community is often referred to as one which is socially, economically and environmentally vibrant.  In achieving a sustainable community the concept of change has to be accepted.  If guidance and advice was more targeted at practitioners and community residents living or working within market towns, it would help to alleviate the barriers caused by the concept of ‘what is the hidden agenda’.

We would ask town councils and market town residents to become involved in the decisions affecting their community, not simply when a planning application goes in, but in shaping their areas when local authorities seek to involve residents.

Do you agree with the recommendations?  Please email us if you have any feedback, at: Alison.Eardley@towns.org.uk

Affordable Housing is one of AMT’s key campaign areas.