Local needs housing
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Wye Housing Needs Survey
Wye Parish Council thanks all in the parish who took part.
Please see the published report below
Image: Squires, an Edwardian terrace that Imperial College left empty for nine years. After a further five years under Telereal Trillium's ownership Squires is still empty and deteriorating. Telereal Trillium obtained full planning permission for change of use to private residential in 2016. The Parish Council supported this application as Wye has few two-bed dwellings. The permission lapsed in 2019.
What is local needs housing?
"...Rural local needs homes are those provided by a Registered Provider of Social Housing (RPSH) also known as a Housing Association, to enable local people to remain in the village where they live or work and not be forced to move away because of high house prices and high rents. These homes remain available for people with local connections in perpetuity..."
Rural Local Needs Housing Guidance Notes, Ashford Borough Council (2013)
Crucially, unlike other forms of affordable and social housing, which are subject to right to buy, 'local needs' units remain available in perpetuity to rent by people with local connections.
Support for local needs housing
Executive summary (extract) "...The Wye Neighbourhood Plan household survey identified the level of local support for the principle of affordable housing. The responses showed that 75.3% of households considered that it was 'very important' (43.9%) or 'important' (31.4%) to provide affordable housing.
Whereas 7% of respondents considered the issue to be 'unimportant', and 4.3% 'very unimportant' and the remaining 13.5% were neutral. Of the 795 households who returned the survey in July 2012, 773 answered this question. Over 76% of all occupied households responded to the survey.
Local needs housing: a case study
Three of a group of seven high quality local needs houses in Godmersham built by the English Rural Housing Association. Opened by the patron HRH Princess Anne in 2011, they will remain available in perpetuity for people with a local connection to the parish.
2022 Wye Housing Needs Survey
Report: Wye Housing Needs Survey May 2022 (PDF, 958 Kb)
High property prices and a predominance of privately-owned homes means that some local people are unable to afford a home within the parish.
Rural Housing Needs Surveys aim to investigate and establish the affordable housing needs of people who live in or have close ties to a parish or rural area, and provide an independent report of that need, if any, using a transparent and robust methodology. They also investigate the needs of older households if any tenure needing alternative housing.
The 2021 'Parish Councillors' Guide to Rural Affordable Housing' states that 'Across the country there is a lack of affordable housing to rent or buy in many villages, in some there is none at all.
2018 Wye Housing Needs Survey
Wye Housing Needs Survey HNS report August 2018 (PDF, 832 Kb)
The parish wide Housing Needs Study undertaken in August 2018 is evidence of unmet need. This updated the previous studies in 2013 and 2009.
Affordable Rural Housing: A practical guide for parish councils (PDF, 5.5 Mb)
Affordable Rural Housing report, published by the Rural Housing Alliance
HRH The Princess Royal (Patron, English Rural Housing Association) said:'The absence of sufficient affordable homes in our rural communities is not a new problem - in fact it is a problem that has got worse in recent years. High property values, increased aspirations to live in the countryside and limited development of new homes have all had an impact, resulting in many local households now being unable to afford to remain within the rural community where they have grown up and have support networks.
Small scale affordable rural housing developments help to rebalance communities, keeping families together whilst providing a boost for local services. Parish and town councils are a driving force for change and a key partner in delivering affordable homes for local people. Please take time to read this practical guide and think about what can be achieved in your own community.'
HRH The Princess Royal
Patron, English Rural Housing Association