To consider a report and presentation on Housing Need in Shropshire

Contact: Mark Barrow, Head of Place, tel 01743 258671

The Director of Place introduced this report. The report followed the ‘Meeting Housing Need in Shropshire’ report considered by Cabinet on 7^th November [attached to the report, Appendix A] and housing workshops held with Members in October 2018.  Members noted that although housing development continued in Shropshire, developers tended to favour the more profitable larger executive style property.  Early analysis suggested that the market place was failing to deliver the right type of housing in the right place to meet local need. 

The Director of Place observed that Shropshire required well designed housing stock to meet future need.  The provision of which would support the Councils other priorities and assist with the growing pressures on core systems and healthcare by enabling an increasingly elderly population to remain in their own homes for longer throught the use of advanced technology. 

In response to a Member’s question, the Director of Place explained that should a local housing company be established by the Council it would look to employ the services of local builders and tradesmen and in this way further support the local economy.  He continued that all building would be done to the Shrewsbury Test standard.

A Member observed that with regard to energy efficient building, Shropshire Council could not impose additional standards on developers as these were governed by Building Regulations. The Director of Place agreed that this was the case but where Shropshire Council provided the land for development they could impose conditions, he continued that market moderation would ensure good quality housing. 

In reponse to a Member’s question the Deputy Portfolio Holder for Housing confirmed that the housing need statistics given in the report were accurate and the fluctuations were as a result of the introduction of a new system to calculate housing need more accurately. 

The Director of Place observed that the housing needs would be meet using existing and tested delivery methods.  The aim of the project would be to meet housing need and provide local people with housing choice, whilst establishing a managed portfolio of property that would generate a return which could be used to support the Council’s priorities.

He continued that it was important to work with Town and Parish Councils to meet the needs of rural areas and develop and maintain sustainable communities.  In response to a Members query he agreed that the project would work in partnership with private sector funding and it was the intention to be flexible in the approach so that small developments could be achieved as well as larger ones.  He added that other authorities had already embarked on projects such as this and good practice could be observed. 

Members noted that an outline business case would be considered by Council at its December 2018 meeting and a final business case would be prepared for the February 2019 meeting of Council

RESOLVED: that a Meeting Housing Need in Shropshire rapid action task and finish group be established to investigate the three key decision areas of:

·         Strategic aims,

·         Development scope and ambition; and

·         Governance.