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Housing Strategy
for the Area of Housing Mix
Discussion Document
1 Aims The aim of the Housing Strategy is to develop
housing provision in the Area designated in 2 (below) to meet its
peculiar needs, not only the needs of individual households (that
is, affordable housing), but also the needs of the community as
a whole (that is, balance in the community [1]). In accordance with
the latter, the Strategy has three particular objectives:
# to increase owner-occupation to within 10% of the national norm
(currently 70% [2]);
# to increase social renting to within 20% of the national norm
(currently 18%);
# to decrease the private rented sector to within 50% of the national
norm (currently 12%).
2 Scope The scope of the Housing Strategy is the
Area of Housing Mix, as designated in the Revised UDP (2006) (which
is centred on Central, South & Far Headingley, but includes
also the adjoining neighbourhoods of Woodhouse, Hyde Park, Little
Woodhouse, Burley Lodge, Burley, Kirkstall and West Park).
# The community impacts of the predominance of student housing within
the Area of Housing Mix are recognised in the RUDP, and addressed
by Policy H15 [3].
# The student housing market is recognised as one of several distinct
housing markets in Leeds in the city’s Affordable Housing
Plan [4].
# The Headingley and Hyde Park Community Areas are recognised by
the University of Leeds as dominated by an “extreme student”
population, accommodated in what are effectively seasonal second
homes [5].
3 Method The method of the Housing Strategy comprises
a distinctive agency, distinctive actions, and
a distinctive outcome.
3.1 The key agency in
the Housing Strategy is a Community Land Trust (CLT), grounded in
partnership between the Council, a sympathetic housing association,
and a local community agency.
3.2 The Housing Strategy comprises a range of tactical
actions, addressing both public and private
provision, and old and new provision.
(1) Old public provision: publicly-owned miscellaneous properties
are transferred to the CLT, for rent or sale (through shared equity)
as affordable housing.
(2) Old private provision:
# empty properties [see LCC’s Empty Property Strategy].
# multiple-occupied properties are subject to Additional HMO Licensing
(to identify their numbers, and discourage their proliferation).
# family-occupied properties are helped to stay in family occupation
by means of HeadingleyHomes, a joint initiative by Headingley
Development Trust and Manning Stainton.
# property conversion from multiple to family occupation is supported
by a Multiple Occupation Reclamation Fund (MORF) managed by the
CLT.
(3) New private provision (planning gain)
# SPG3 is amended to recognise the Area of Housing Mix as a distinct
housing market, with specific needs for affordable housing [6].
# Section 106 arrangements for affordable housing, for developments
of 15 units or more, are managed by the CLT.
# Section 106 arrangements for development under 15 units are used
to fund MORF, and other measures to meet the objectives.
# multiple occupation is prohibited in all developments (under Section
106).
(4) New public provision (subsidised housing) [to follow].
(5) All development of housing in the designated area is subject
to the policy of Housing Mix, as defined in the objectives.
3.3 The overall outcome
of the Housing Strategy is a Local Housing Ladder
[7], providing steps of affordable housing, from social renting,
through sub-market renting and sub-market sales,
to low-cost market sales, and full market sales &
rent.
Leeds HMO Lobby, 8 February 2007
Notes
[1] The National HMO Lobby defines ‘Balanced
Communities’ as those which approximate national demographic
norms.
[2] The figures are from DCLG, Housing Statistics Summary, no 26
Survey of English Housing Provisional Results: 2005/06
(2006).
[3] Leeds City Council, Unitary Development
Plan, Revised, 2006.
[4] Leeds Housing Partnership, Assessment of Need for Affordable
Housing (2003); see Appendix 1: The Housing Markets of Leeds,
and Appendix 2: Housing Market Zones. But Headingley is included
in the Inner Suburban Areas, which are “characterised by property
values lower than the average for the city” (p37).
[5] R Unsworth & J Stillwell (eds) Twenty-First Century
Leeds University of Leeds (2004); “The biggest change
in the demographic structure of Leeds [1991-2001] was the expansion
of the student age population and an increasing intensity of student
occupation of the inner northwest of the city” (p47).
[6] Leeds City Council, Revised Supplementary Planning Guidance
No3, Affordable Housing Policy Guidance Note (2003), and
the current Annex Housing Need Assessment Update (2005).
[7] Leeds Housing Partnership, Making the Housing Ladder Work
(in draft).
Leeds HMO Lobby
email: hmolobby@hotmail.com
website: www.hmolobby.org.uk/leeds
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