Agenda item

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW

None

Contact Officers:

Nicky Debbage, Housing Strategy & Delivery Manager, Tel: 01263 516027, email nicky.debbage@north-noroflk.gov.uk

Graham Connolly, Housing Strategy & Delivery Manager, Tel: 01263 516282, email graham.connolly@north-norfolk.gov.uk

Cllr W Fredericks – Portfolio Holder for Housing and Benefits introduced the report and informed Members that housing was a top priority for the Council. She added that the new Strategy would build on existing work to improve housing conditions and provide more housing throughout the District. It was noted that current achievements included the purchase of fourteen homes for use as temporary accommodation, the delivery of the first extra care scheme in Fakenham, and the delivery of new affordable homes above annual targets. Cllr W Fredericks stated that the Strategy had four key themes of increasing the supply of housing, improving housing conditions, making best use of existing homes, and supporting vulnerable residents’ housing needs.

Questions and Discussion

       i.          The Chairman asked what had changed from previous strategies to address the supply of affordable housing in the District. The HSDM-ND replied that whilst there was no easy solution, there were a range of actions that could help. She added that whilst the targets for affordable homes were close to being met, with future targets predicted to be surpassed, the key issue was the high number of property disposals by housing associations. It was suggested that working with housing associations to address the number of disposals would be crucial to retain as much social housing as possible, in addition to ensuring supply through new development proposals. The Chairman said that despite these actions, net deficits of affordable housing remained a concern. Cllr W Fredericks stated that despite the issue of disposals, she was confident that the Council would meet its affordable housing targets.

      ii.          Cllr N Pearce stated that he felt the strategy was high risk, as many residents did not want affordable housing built in their communities. Cllr W Fredericks replied that Town and Parish Councils had been involved in the development of the Strategy, and suggested that most residents accepted that more affordable housing was needed for young people to purchase their own homes. She added that there was also a Community Liaison Officer within the Housing Team that worked with communities to address concerns and mitigate objections to affordable housing developments. The Chairman noted his appreciation of this role, given the entrenched resistance seen amongst communities.

     iii.          Cllr C Cushing referred to the affordable homes targets and suggested that these should take into account the disposals or loss of affordable homes, as well as those delivered. He then referred to the overall Strategy, and stated that vague explanations did not provide clear guidance on how targets would be achieved. Cllr W Fredericks replied that each potential disposal was given thorough consideration to determine viability, and in some cases disposals were unavoidable. She added that the Strategy would continue to develop in order to address issues and meet targets.

    iv.          Cllr S Penfold stated that whilst the Council was exceeding its targets for developing affordable homes, more needed to be done to avoid the loss of social housing via disposals.

      v.          Cllr V Holliday referred to the term affordable and suggested that was a broad term that may require further explanation. She then referred to the issue of second homes, and suggested that there were a number of ways that the Council could address this, and asked whether the Council could do more. Cllr W Fredericks replied that the term affordable took into consideration the demographics and wages of the District, with a formula used to determine affordability set by Central Government. She added that second homes remained a policy issue, with some disposals covered by a covenant that limited second home use. The HSDM-ND stated that the issue of second homes had been discussed at length during the development of the Local Plan, and whilst there was an option to place restrictions on new homes, it was determined that this would have a knock on impact on existing homes that made the proposal unviable. She added that Section 157 restrictions were placed on right to buy homes that required buyers to have worked and lived in Norfolk for three years. Cllr V Holliday suggested that other local controls on second homes should be reconsidered.

    vi.          Cllr A Brown stated that the issue of restricting second homes in the District had been given consideration on a number of occasions by PPBH WP, which had reluctantly determined that the issue was better managed with national controls. He added that extensive research had been undertaken to consider the impact of restrictions on second homes, and where restrictions had been placed on new homes, this had only passed the issue onto existing properties. It was suggested that the restrictions were not therefore, a dependable solution. Cllr A Brown stated that there was scope to use Section 106 funding to create affordable housing on rural exception sites, or a requirement for 25% of new developments to be made available exclusively to first time buyers. He added that if there was a solution that was fully effective in addressing the issue of second homes, then it would have been considered. Cllr A Brown asked whether a distinction could be made on the number of property disposals between right to buy and housing associations. The HSDM-ND replied that the majority of disposals in previous years had been voluntary, though the number of right to buy properties was now low, suggesting that the number of disposals would continue to fall. She added that she would share figures on the number of right to buy vs housing association disposals after the meeting.

   vii.          Cllr L Withington referred to the North Norfolk Town and Parish Forum, who were working to address the issue of second homes, and stated that there was a general expectation that anyone could buy a second home wherever they wanted. She suggested that a more realistic approach to address the issue would be to mitigate the negative impacts of second home ownership. It was suggested that affordable homes in many cases were still not affordable to local people, therefore more affordable rental properties may be required. Cllr L Withington stated that more emphasis should therefore be placed on developing affordable rental properties within the Strategy. The HSDM-ND replied that she would emphasize the point accordingly, and noted that the viability of higher discounts of up to 50% on affordable homes for sale was being considered. Cllr A Brown stated that the new First Homes scheme gave Council’s the opportunity to link affordability with local income or property prices, and it was the Council’s intention to link with income. It was noted that  ensuring developers met their obligation to deliver affordable homes remained a significant challenge for the Council.

  viii.          Cllr S Penfold referred to the number of affordable homes delivered and asked whether more up to date figures could be provided, given that the Strategy covered the period up to 2025.

    ix.          Cllr H Blathwayt referred to evictions of tenants for properties to be used as AirBnB rentals, and asked whether there was any evidence of this within the District. The HSMD-ND replied that it was difficult to determine, though there had be a year on year increase in second and holiday home ownership, with the majority of holiday homes commercially let, though it was difficult to determine whether these were previously privately rented homes. It was noted that short-term holiday lets were seen as more profitable, though evidence was not yet available to determine whether this was a trend in North Norfolk.

      x.          It was proposed by Cllr A Brown and seconded by Cllr H Blathwayt that the Strategy be recommended to Council for approval, subject to the amendments raised by the Committee.

RESOLVED

1.     To recommend that Council approves the Housing Strategy, subject to amendments raised by the Committee.