Housing and Supported Living
Housing Strategies
Rural Housing Enabler Project
PURPOSE
The Unitary Authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, North
Somerset and South Gloucestershire are working in partnership with
Community Action (Rural Community Council for the West of England
area), The Housing Corporation, The Countryside Agency, Knightstone
Housing Association, English Rural Housing Association, and the
Rural Housing Trust to deliver a programme of new affordable homes
in our villages and rural areas. This paper sets out what the
Rural Enabler Project has achieved so far, and what is planned over
the coming year.
BACKGROUND
Central Government has set a target for the South West for
housing associations to begin the development of 764 new affordable
homes in rural settlements (being settlements of populations under
3000, in line with the Housing Corporation definition) over the
three years, 2003-2006. This continues the Rural White Paper
challenge to the Housing Corporation to double the number of rural
homes provided through the Approved Development Programme (ADP),
from 800 to 1,600 units by 2003/4. Delivering an increased
rural housing programme has become a strategic priority for the
Housing Corporation SW, who set aside approximately 19% of their
funding resources for 2002/3 and 24% for 2003/4. The South
West Regional Housing Body (SWRHB) was considering allocating 33%
of the resources available for new provision for rural developments
in 2004/5 and 2005/6, which meant that the West of England area
aimed to increase provision across the sub-region. However,
through consultation, the SWRHB were also asked to consider rural
market and coastal towns in the wider SW region, and not just the
rural communities under 3,000. Actual allocation for rural
settlements for 2004-2006 is £33m, which will fund up to 870 new
affordable homes in rural communities in accordance with the
national target. At 17.5% of the total programme this is
substantially less than the third of the programme originally
anticipated, but an equivalent amount has also been allocated for
market and coastal towns. The impact of this needs to be
considered within the sub-regional rural housing strategy.
The Housing Corporation’s Rural Gazetteer lists South
Gloucestershire as having 75 rural settlements with a population of
less than 3000, North Somerset as having 58, and Bath and North
East Somerset as having 71, with a combined rural population of
some 77,400.
Based upon the numbers of smaller, rural settlements, the Housing
Corporation expects to deliver around 20 units a year across the
three authorities funded through allocations in their ADP.
The Corporation does, however, have clear expectations that an LA
funded programme will supplement these numbers wherever
possible.
A strategic approach
to the delivery of rural housing programmes in each of the three
Authority areas is currently encompassed within their individual
Housing Strategy documents. Best Practice on developing rural
housing suggests, however, that rural housing issues become lost
amongst urban needs and priorities which are generally higher
profile, more visible, are historically better supported, and where
more opportunities for development arise. Hence, a specific
Rural Housing Strategy needs to be developed for the sub-region, to
raise the awareness of the need for affordable rural housing, and
to plan to enable its provision.
The Rural Housing
Partnership was established in Autumn 2002 across the 3 unitary
authority areas in order to specifically address the implementation
of rural housing strategy across the sub-region.
Rural Housing Development Prior to RHE Project
Delivery on a rural housing programme across the West of England
area has so far been limited. The rural landscape of the
combined districts is striking and diverse. Many areas lie
within designated areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or in areas
designated as green belt, and the attractive character of many
villages is recognised by Conservation Area Status. Planning
polices designed to protect rural areas ensure that the delivery of
affordable housing is significantly harder than delivering housing
in urban locations.
In North Somerset, the programme of rural housing has relied on
the selective purchase of properties available on the open
market.
In South Gloucestershire some small schemes have been completed
in the past, such as in Cromhall, Tytherington, Hawkesbury Upton,
Wick, Olveston, and Falfield. More recently, one rural
property has been purchased on the open market to facilitate a
larger development, which is still in the pipeline, and
redevelopments of rural Council owned PRC properties were
prioritised.
In Bath and North East Somerset the provision of rural housing
has been minimal, reliant upon contributions from section 106
developments and the use of exception sites where a need had
already been identified, but schemes completed in Chew Stoke, Ubley
and Hinton Charterhouse show that affordable housing can be
achieved in rural areas at a high design standard.
(allocation of funding or
schemes begun prior to project):
-
Bath and North East Somerset
The Guinness Housing Trust has recently
completed eleven homes to rent via a Section 106 site at
Timsbury. In addition the Trust has secured funding for four
shared ownership homes in Bishop Sutton negotiated through a
section 106 agreement.
Batheaston Parish Council and the Somer
Community Housing Trust are working in partnership to identify
underused garage sites for redevelopment as affordable
housing.
East Harptree has a long established housing need. The
Duchy of Cornwall has kindly offered assistance to the Parish
Council and a possible exception site has been identified.
Schemes have been drawn up with Somer
Community Housing Trust at West Harptree to provide six affordable
homes, and with Orbit Housing Association to deliver six affordable
homes in Farmborough following housing needs surveys in these
Parishes.
Ten units of shared ownership and affordable rented housing are
currently being developed on an exception site in Winford by
English Rural Housing Association / The Rural Housing Trust with a
2003/04 allocation of funding from the Housing Corporation and
Local Authority.
The Rural Housing Trust is also working with Churchill Parish
Council and Wraxall Parish Council on identifying levels of
affordable housing need. Recent work by Mendip homes and the Rural
Housing Trust led to a first stage housing needs survey for the
settlement of Sandford and the Parish Council are currently
deciding whether to continue with needs identification or
affordable housing development.
A Do-it-yourself shared ownership scheme is being considered for
the settlements of Flax Bourton, Wraxall, Failand, Long Ashton,
Barrow Gurney, and Backwell, with funding arising from the private
development at Farleigh Hospital. This is at an early stage of
development, and alternatives may yet be explored.
A recent programme of the open market purchase of homes in rural
areas has been drawn to a close as property prices have increased
beyond affordability limits set by the Housing Corporation. The
scheme had been running since 1998.
A programme to provide affordable housing units under the
Homebuy scheme has been developed, where it is expected that some
units may be provided in rural areas.
Following successful joint working with the Parish Council,
local residents, and the Council, Knightstone HA secured funding
from the Housing Corporation and the Local Authority to provide
nine affordable homes on a Council-owned site in Hawkesbury Upton
which are now under construction.
A survey was carried out in the Parish of Olveston in 2002/03,
and a suitable site for an affordable housing scheme needs to be
found within the settlement boundary there to meet the local
housing needs identified.
Several Parish Councils, such as Wickwar and Oldbury-on Severn,
previously expressed an interest in exploring affordable housing
issues in their villages. The Council has an ongoing
commitment to fund a minimum of two Parish Housing Needs Surveys
per financial year.
Redevelopment of Council owned PRC housing in rural areas is
ongoing where defective affordable housing is being replaced with
new homes. At Doynton a special partnership arrangement with
Orbit HA should result in the provision of eleven new affordable
homes, the funding for which is to be cross subsidised by the
creation of an additional ten new homes for sale. Four
houses in Westerleigh are to be replaced by five new homes.
These schemes follow the successful completion of the rural
redevelopment scheme at Pucklechurch where sixteen PRC homes have
been replaced with nineteen new affordable homes in conjunction
with Sovereign Housing Association.
In addition, thirteen affordable homes have been successfully
negotiated as part of several small rural private schemes under
s106 agreements.
Rural Housing Partnership
As stated previously, The Rural Housing Partnership was
established in 2002, and appointed its Rural Housing Enabler (RHE)
in February 2003 to take forward its key objectives. The RHE
post is jointly funded by the LA partners, the Countryside Agency,
and the Housing Corporation until end of March 2005.
Knightstone Housing Association and English Rural Housing
Association were selected through a competitive process as partner
housing associations to deliver the rural programme, and they are
contributing towards the Partnership costs, either by a financial
contribution or by providing services in kind. All these
partners have formed a The Rural Housing Partnership Steering Group
that guides and supports the RHE and ‘steers’ the project to meet
the partnership objectives.
A work programme was set up for the RHE for 2003/2004, and this
project has been expanded with a new programme of work for
2004/2005.
The Rural Enabler Project has been developed primarily to
promote the delivery of affordable housing in settlements with a
population of 3000 and under in the three authorities’ rural
areas. The Partnership recognises that there is housing need
in larger village settlements, and market towns, and whilst some
issues for these will be covered within this paper, their needs
will be considered within the Housing Strategies for the three
unitary authorities, and not separately here as part of this
project.
