Contact: Sue Clark, ext 5890 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That it be agreed that the response set out in section 9 of this report be sent to the Regional Housing Board as the County Council's response to the `Green Paper - South East Regional Housing Strategy 2006-2009'.

2. Reason

2.1 This decision supports Aims 2 and 3 of the Corporate Strategy (Stewardship of the Environment and Achieving Economic Prosperity) by influencing how the housing problems of the region are addressed.

3. Other Options Considered and Rejected

3.1 Decline to provide a response.

4. Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Decision Maker or Other Executive Member Consulted - None.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the Matter being dealt with if Urgent - Not applicable.

Approved by: ..................................... Date: ...................................

Councillor T K Thornber

Contact: Sue Clark, ext 5890 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 In July last year the Regional Housing Board submitted an Interim Regional Housing Strategy to Government. The Board now has to develop a strategy that will influence how housing is delivered in the region in the longer term (2006-2009).

1.2 As a first step towards preparing that strategy the Board has published a Green Paper for consultation. The Green Paper sets out the key housing issues faced by the region. It is intended to stimulate debate and to give an opportunity to stakeholders to say how they think the housing problems of the region can be addressed. The report sets out the key issues and options and asks a number of questions about each issue. The Regional Housing Board will analyse the comments made and prepare a draft Strategy which will be launched in October, followed by a further consultation period. The final strategy will be submitted to the Government next spring. A copy of the Green Paper's Executive Summary is attached as an appendix.

2. The Green Paper

2.1 In the Green Paper the vision for the region states that the highest priority for the region is to seek a better match between housing supply and demand and that the strategy should maximise the impact of resources to that end. It states that this means increasing the supply of new housing, not only in the growth areas, but also elsewhere where homes are needed to support economic growth and sustainability, and tackling affordability, so that more people can access housing and afford to live near where they work.

2.2 Some of the issues discussed in the Green Paper are more relevant to Housing Authorities than Hampshire County Council. The response to the Green Paper addresses the main issues of importance to Hampshire County Council.

2.3 The Housing Board's closing date for comments is 11 June 2004.

3. Comments by the Director of Environment

3.1 The Green Paper is comprehensive in its coverage of the key housing issues facing the region. It examines the issues, options and implications for 17 topic areas and raises questions about each topic. The topic areas are appropriate for the Green Paper but many are directly relevant to Housing Authorities rather than to the County Council. The Green Paper asks over 70 questions in total. Provisional responses have been made to those questions which are considered most relevant to Hampshire County Council.

3.2 Affordability

(i) Question

Is it appropriate for future strategies to seek to concentrate a significant proportion of funds for affordable new provision within the three regional growth areas, and other strategic sites, or should the funding be more closely targeted to areas of greatest need?

Response

There is a need for a balanced approach with some of the funding going to the growth areas and other strategic sites such as Hampshire's Major Development Areas and the Aldershot Urban Extension and the remaining funding allocated according to need and the ability of the authority/sub-region to meet that need.

(ii) Question

Will a substantial increase in overall housing provision in the region, through the South East Plan, bring about a step change in affordability, ie more housing to meet demand with less inflationary impacts on prices and affordability?

Response

A substantial increase in overall housing provision is likely to help affordability in the long term, but it is considered unlikely that the levels of housing provision being used as a basis for discussion in the South East England Regional Assembly's (SEERA) `Spring Debates' would bring about a step change in affordability. The price of housing is not just a function of supply. (New build, conversions and changes of use add less than one percent to the housing stock each year.) Other factors such as location, infrastructure, quality and suitability for investment purposes, income levels and price expectations all have an impact. In any case a significant change would not


occur during the period of the strategy as there is a long lead-in time between additional housing being proposed at the regional level and additional dwellings being completed on the ground.

3.3 Key Workers

(i) Question

How should scarce public resources be divided between key workers and other groups in housing need?

Response

Key workers are essential to the prosperity of the South East region and therefore the level of funding which was allocated for key workers in the 2004-06 Regional Housing Strategy should be maintained. This would mean 30 to 35% of the funding available for distribution by the Regional Housing Board being targeted at key workers.

3.4 Housing Supply

(i) Question

Will the housing sector (defined in a broad sense) be able to deliver more housing in the south-east? If not, what more needs to be done to ensure that planned provision translates into homes?

Response

Monitoring suggests that over the next few years Hampshire will have a sustained period of completions exceeding its Regional Planning Guidance requirement. In order to realise the expected completions local authorities should keep to local plan/Local Development Framework timetables, developers should submit complete, good quality applications and local authorities should approve the applications in a timely manner. Government bodies such as the Highways Agency and English Nature should be consulted about proposed housing sites as early as possible.

However, it is becoming increasingly clear that there are fundamental issues to do with infrastructure that, unless dealt with in the very near future, could impose constraints upon the provision of further housing beyond the period of this strategy. Perhaps the most important are transport and water infrastructure. Early investment in transport infrastructure is needed if more houses are to be built. There are already issues to do with water supply in south Hampshire and water quality in north Hampshire, that will be exacerbated by additional housing development and which may require significant investment in infrastructure if they are to be overcome. If they are not addressed in time they could become a block to achieving the desired levels of development.

(ii) Question

Are there further actions that could be taken by those organisations that make up the board?

Response

The Government Office for the South East (GOSE) should take account of the need for housing in its application of the `Greenfield Directive' so that key housing sites, allocated in local plans and required to meet housing needs, are not unduly delayed. SEERA/GOSE should hold discussions with the Highways Agency and other infrastructure providers about overcoming barriers to further development.

3.5 Quality Design and Sustainable Construction

(i) Questions

(a) What more can be done to promote high quality design and sustainability so that people in the region recognise and demand high standards in both traditionally and non- traditionally built homes?

(b) How can negative perceptions of higher density development be overcome?

Response

Examples of well-designed high density developments should be publicised to show that they can make a positive contribution to the neighbourhood and be attractive places to live. A web-site with information about exemplar schemes in the south-east is one possibility. Hampshire County Council has established a web directory, from information provided by Hampshire's city, borough and district councils, to demonstrate how high density can be successfully combined with good design to create a high quality living environment. See: http://www.hants.gov.uk
/environment/highdensityhousing/index.html.

Further suggestions for overcoming negative perceptions of higher density development are included in the report `Attitudes to Higher Density Developments in the South East' which was produced for the SEERA by consultants URBED.

The South East Plan should require all new housing development to be built to at least the `good' and preferably to the `excellent' eco-homes building standard. The UK Government should strengthen the building regulations to promote much higher standards of design and resource use. The utility and service providers should work together with GOSE and local authorities in promoting more sustainable lifestyles and corresponding behaviour change.

3.6 Investment Priorities

(i) Question

Do you agree that the top priority is to tackle housing supply and affordability?

Response

Yes, it is important that sufficient homes are built in order to support economic growth and sustainability and more people should be able to access housing and afford to live near to where they work. But it is also necessary to ensure that an appropriate balance is struck between the provision for housebuilding and other considerations. In particular, the Assembly needs to undertake work to define the quality of life and ensure that this is protected through the plan in order to maximise the prospects of economic prosperity in the long term.

Recommendation

That it be agreed that the response set out in section 9 of this report be sent to the Regional Housing Board as the County Council's response to the `Green Paper - South East Regional Housing Strategy 2006-2009'.

8795/SC