Decision on 23 affordable housing application in Holme on Spalding Moor deferred

This week I appeared before the East Riding of Yorkshire Council's Western Area Planning Committee to speak against a proposal by Chevin Housing for 23 affordable houses in Holme on Spalding Moor.

The decision of the Committee was to defer and reconsider at the next meeting after a site visit.

I had appeared before the Committee a short while ago to speak in favour of an affordable housing application in village, for 4 dwellings on a small plot of undeveloped land, and of such a scale so as to be incorporated into the community with relative ease.

This is not the case for this 23 dwelling proposal and I pressed the Committee to give significant weight the rate at which a community can absorb affordable housing.

The application had been compared with a similar scheme in Newport, something I fully supported – but was very different because of that community’s capacity to absorb the properties and locally available employment.

I had spent a lot of time looking at this application, when previous sites in the village where identified but fell through, and certainly before this site was identified – I attended the public consultation event and have listened to many, many HOSM people.

Almost all accept the need for affordable housing in HOSM, especially for young people. There is a big difference between people who presently live in the village or have a close connection with it wanting affordable housing and people from outside the community indicating HOSM as their preferred village in which to live. On balance the figures demonstrate a need from within those living in the village – But I would certainly take exception to this need being described as massive.

I recognise the excellent work done by HOSM Parish Council in looking to address the affordable housing need in the village. Without their drive and determination this proposal would never have got off the ground.

The site selection is controversial to say the least – the whole process has raised a number of very series issues and the behaviour of the developer is not something they should be proud of – including sponsoring the Parish Council Magazine in which they announced their plans, resulting in the Parish Council finding themselves in a position that, under advice, didn’t even comment on the application when it was before them.

There are numerous better sites for housing in the village – I am led to believe this was not the first or even second choice. It is on the outskirts of the village a considerable walk from what most believe is the centre of the village. For the applicant to cynically re-define the centre of the village as the school in order to support the proposal is nothing short of a ‘manipulation of logic’, it is embarrassing and it has not gone down at all well with people.

The site is wet, neighbouring Bailywood Close have had drainage issues – I am led to believe one of the delays in getting this application before the Committee has been around drainage. Yes any site can be drained – But what is confusing here is that the flood risk assessment asks that soakaway tests are carried out and the results submitted to the Environment Agency – this has quite simply not been done and I can see no reason what so ever why it hasn’t. So how can this be considered acceptable when it clearly isn’t.

I have spoken to many residents, and when one considers the population of HOSM of 1,286 households, to have a total of 636 residents (that’s people who live in the village not in other communities), opposing this sends out a very clear message – there is not the support for this proposal for 23 affordable houses.

The majority are not NIMBY’s - the proposed development is not near them, but they recognise the pressures that will be put on local services if an extra 23 families move into the village.

The one letter of support pretty much nails the issue “Smaller infill plots of 2 or 3 houses would be more acceptable”. The Planning Committee report was shows that that even back in 2006 it was suggested that a phased development of 10 per year would be appropriate – this is what is needed rather than this large affordable housing development.

If this was a private developer wanting to build 23 houses outside of the village development limit – would it have even got as far as the Committee – I suggest not?

I suggest Chevin go back to the drawing board, consult with and take the community with them, and find a more suitable site - or preferably sites in HOSM.

UPDATE

Affordable Housing - A disappointing result at the second meeting of the planning committee after the site visit

As Ward Councillor I again spoke against the Chevin Housing planning application for 23 affordable houses when it was heard by the ERYC Planning Committee after the initial deferment, not that I didn’t support the need for affordable housing, but I had concerns with the location and as to how the village services could cope with a large influx of people at one time that we will see with such a significant development. I would have personally liked to have seen much more of a phased process - so the families moving into affordable housing could be integrated into the community at a reasonable rate – preventing a ‘them and us’ situation.

I thought local democracy would have won the day, but it didn’t. I feel very disappointed for all the 636 HOSM people who had taken the time to write an objection to this application. I have spoken to many HOSM people, and when you consider the population of HOSM is 1,286 households, to have a total of 636 people, opposing this sent out a very clear message – there was not local support for this proposal for 23 affordable houses.

The behaviour of the developer Chevin was not something they should be proud of, particularly in cynically redefining the centre of the village as the school to justify their choice of site.

We will now have to make sure that the new homes go to HOSM people or those who have a close connection with the village.

If anyone knows of people who fit this criterion and are interested in affordable housing please pass me their details.

Holme on Spalding Moor Affordable Housing Proposals

A number of Holme on Spalding Moor (HOSM) residents have contacted me regarding the Parish Council’s proposals for 23 affordable houses in the village, this was after details of the proposals were published in the Parish Council magazine (the Grapevine). Of the 24 homes 19 are for rent and 4 can be for shared ownership (part mortgage and part rental)

An exhibition of the Affordable Housing proposals, was planned, and is still to take place at the Holme Gala to be held on 18th July 2010 at the Village Hall, where residents will have the opportunity to see the full details, ask questions and comment.

Due to the number of people contacting the Parish Council an additional meeting for residents is to be held prior to the Gala event on Thursday 15th JULY at 7.30pm in the Methodist Church Hall.

The issue with residents appears to be two fold:

The identified need and whether the affordable housing is for local residents (this is an issue I feel able to discuss below)

The location of the proposed site (As I sit on the planning committee that will determine the any future planning application I am unable to put forward an opinion or discuss prior to the planning meeting - although I can listen)

The case for affordable housing in Holme on Spalding Moor

I fully support the Parish Council in what they have done to attract this potential investment into the village to address one of the most important issues facing the community – that of affordable housing for local people. It is increasingly difficult for young people to find accommodation in rural villages because of both availability and cost, and these homes would go a long way to address this.

At present East Riding of Yorkshire Council had 38 applications on the waiting list for houses in HOSM, and a over 350 applicants requesting consideration for re-housing into the village as one of their areas of choice. But the East Riding of Yorkshire Council has just 45 properties in the village – almost all occupied.

In areas such as HOSM, where homes are required, much new affordable housing is linked to new housing developments where a proportion of those new houses are affordable. But this can mean that unless there is allocated building land in the village, there is little scope for building the required affordable properties.

This can be overcome by working in partnership with specialist affordable housing providers who can build on Green Field sites, and this is exactly what we are seeing with the Parish Council’s proposals. Whether the proposed site is the most appropriate in the village is open to debate.

HOSM Parish Council should be congratulated on obtaining the funding as it is dependant on the communities bidding for affordable housing to match the identified need – I recognise that villages want to grow by allowing children to leave home to live alone or with spouses/partners, without leaving their communities. Allowing young people to remain in the villages in which they grew up is a very important element of community cohesion in most rural settlements.

This is why it is important that local people, such as the HOSM Parish Council, who through the Parish Plan, have identified the housing requirements of residents, make decisions on affordable housing. The affordable housing as proposed is a mixture of not just rented accommodation, but also ‘Homebuy’ shared ownership – which means young people, who would not have the opportunity to conventionally get onto the first rung of the property ladder, then have the opportunity through this shared ownership – paying part rent and part mortgage.

So, in a nutshell, if affordable housing is to be provided in rural villages, the priority must be given to those who have a connection with the village, rather than further afield. This can only improve the village by allowing people to live and stay in their own community, and I fully support Holme on Spalding Moor Parish Council in what they are doing in this area.

Holme on Spalding Moor To Get Allocation Of Affordable Housing

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) is one of 47 Councils across the country that will receive a share of £127 million of funding to build council homes. The ERYC received the largest allocation of funding in the country and proposes to build 275 new affordable homes. These dwellings will be in many communities with identified need, four of which to be built in Holme on Spalding Moor (HOSM) were on the agenda for the ERYC's Western Area planning committee this week.

I spoke in favour of the proposal and supported HOSM Parish Council in their recommendation for approval, and I’m pleased to say the planning committee agreed and granted planning permission.

One issue constantly being raised by Howdenshire residents is that of affordable housing. It is increasingly difficult for young people to find accommodation in rural villages such as HOSM because of both availability and cost.

At the present moment, East Riding of Yorkshire Council has 58 applications on the waiting list for houses in Holme on Spalding Moor and a further 239 applicants requesting consideration for re-housing into the village as one of their areas of choice. But the council has just 45 properties in the village – almost all occupied.

In areas such as HOSM, where homes are required, much new affordable housing is linked to new housing developments where a proportion of those new houses are affordable. But this can mean that unless there is allocated building land in the village, there is little scope for building the required affordable properties. This can be overcome by working in partnership with specialist affordable housing providers who can build on Green Field sites but this can also be difficult.

Gaining this dispensation is dependant on the communities bidding for affordable housing to match the identified need – those villages that want to grow by allowing children to leave home to live alone or with spouses/partners, without leaving their communities to do so. In this application there was no bidding process – the money had already been obtained by the ERYC.

Affordable housing required could be a mixture of not just rented accommodation, but also Homebuy shared ownership – which means young people, who would not have the opportunity to conventionally get onto the first rung of the property ladder, then have the opportunity through this shared ownership – paying part rent and part mortgage.

Allowing young people to remain in the villages in which they grew up is a very important element of community cohesion in most rural settlements. This is why it is important that local people, such as the HOSM Parish Council, who, through the Parish Plan, have identified the housing requirements of residents, are key in the decision making on affordable housing.

The provision of affordable housing can only improve the village by allowing people to live and stay in their own community, and I fully support Parish Council in what they are doing in this area.

So, in a nutshell, the East Riding of Council has received funding to build a number of dwellings in communities with identified need and the Western Area Planning Committee supported the officer’s recommendation and approved the application for ‘affordable housing for local people in Holme on Spalding Moor’

Affordable Housing Provision in Rural Villages

One issue constantly being raised by residents is that of affordable housing. It is increasingly difficult for young people to find accommodation in rural villages because of both availability and cost.

At the present moment, East Riding of Yorkshire Council has 65 applications on the waiting list for houses in the Howdenshire village Holme on Spalding Moor (HOSM), and a further 239 applicants requesting consideration for re-housing into the village as one of their areas of choice. But the council has just 45 properties in the village – almost all occupied.

In areas such as HOSM, where homes are required, much new affordable housing is linked to new housing developments where a proportion of those new houses are affordable. But this can mean that unless there is allocated building land in the village, there is little scope for building the required affordable properties. This can be overcome by working in partnership with specialist affordable housing providers who can build on Green Field sites.

Gaining this dispensation is dependant on the communities bidding for affordable housing to match the identified need – those villages that want to grow by allowing children to leave home to live alone or with spouses/partners, without leaving their communities to do so.

Affordable housing required could be a mixture of not just rented accommodation, but also Homebuy shared ownership – which means young people, who would not have the opportunity to conventionally get onto the first rung of the property ladder, then have the opportunity through this shared ownership – paying part rent and part mortgage.

Allowing young people to remain in the villages in which they grew up is a very important element of community cohesion in most rural settlements. This is why it is important that local people, such as the HOSM Parish Council, who, through the Parish Plan, have identified the housing requirements of residents, make decisions on affordable housing.

So, in a nutshell, if affordable housing is to be provided in rural villages, the priority must be given to those who have a connection with the village, rather than further afield. This can only improve the village by allowing people to live and stay in their own community, and I fully support Parish Councils in what they are doing in this area.