Archived News - Housing
“I Can Remember When This Was All Fields”
Back in the heady days of the early noughties, before spiv bankers brought the economy to its knees and the housing market to a standstill, the Government decided that the nation needed to build more houses. Not just a few but hundreds of thousands. One of the places it chose to site these was southern Bedfordshire - and in 2005 Luton, Dunstable, Houghton Regis and Leighton - Linslade were formally designated as a “Growth Area”. Around these towns the green belt would be rolled back to make room for an additional 41,700. The job of deciding exactly where these houses should be built was given to a new “Joint Committee” made up of councillors from Luton, South Bedfordshire and Bedfordshire County Council's. The committee assembled a team of professional planners and work on the new plan commenced.
In June 2007 it was able to publish its first document for consultation - the “Core Strategy: Issues and Options” which explored various locations for the new houses. No less than 10 “options” were proposed, and, much to the surprise of many, some of the areas suggested for major new development were green belt villages outside the designated “growth area” - including Eaton Bray.
Soon afterwards the collapse of Northern Rock heralded the end of cheap and plentiful credit and the housing market collapsed. House building ground to a halt. But the joint committee's work continued - albeit slowly. By the time this article appears in Focus it will have published its “Core Strategy : Preferred Options” document for consultation. This refines the ten options to one. It sidesteps the issue of precisely where new housing will be built - delegating this to a later document called the “Site Allocations DPD” - but it does identify general areas for growth.
Most new development is to be located in or adjacent to the four towns, but the expansion of villages is also proposed. The key wording is in Policy CS1: “A limited scale of development will be allocated or supported in rural areas. This will be in and/or on the edge of the rural settlements that are currently excluded from the Green Belt...... Small scale reviews of the Green Belt boundary on the edge of these rural settlements may be required to enable such development to proceed...
Eaton Bray is such a “rural settlement” and the Policy opens up the prospect of pressure for the release of land on the edge of the village, currently in the Green Belt, for new housing development. What “limited” means is not made clear. Views will vary about whether this would be a good or a bad thing, but the matter deserves to be the subject of local scrutiny and debate. The future of your village depends on it. The opportunity exists now to have your say, one way or the other, so don't miss it!
-- George Crutcher. MRTPI
This is the second of an occasional series on of articles on Town Planning issues. George Crutcher is a locally based Planning Consultant.
Source: Focus, May 2009
Facing the housing challenge - action today, innovation for tomorrow
A series of further measures and reforms designed to help alleviate the current challenges in the housing market and to support the vital delivery of more homes over the long-term, are being announced today by Housing Minister Caroline Flint.
The measures are part of a new update, published today, on progress to delivering more homes, helping first time buyers, supporting existing home owners, assisting the industry which is currently facing tougher conditions, and ensuring that the right foundations are in place for a recovery in new build starts.
Housing Minister Caroline Flint said:
"The package being announced today will both help people facing difficulties right now, and lay the foundations to help meet the long term housing needs of the country.
"That means being ambitious, but also practical and realistic, acknowledging not only the difficulties faced by individuals and families, but for those who work in the house building industry.
"We are determined to continue to do everything possible to promote long-term stability and fairness in the housing market. The international credit crunch has created significant challenges not just for the UK housing market, but in other parts of Europe and the United States.
"However, the long term need to provide more homes has not gone away. We have a growing and ageing population and will only see worsening affordability unless we increase housing supply."
The measures include:
- A new scheme to support first time buyers into affordable home ownership by renting first and buying later. Under the scheme, eligible households earning £60,000 a year or less will to able to rent a new home at a discounted rate for a period of two to three years. They will have the option to buy a part share in the home. The affordable rent, which will be 80 per cent of the market rent or less, will enable the household to save for a deposit to buy the share in the home. The new pilot scheme, called Rent to Home buy, is designed to give more choice and flexibility to first time buyers, and is part of the Government's low cost home ownership schemes
- New partnerships between the public and private sector that will put councils back at the centre stage of providing homes. The first 4 Local Housing Companies will be announced today, in Barking and Dagenham, Newcastle, Nottingham, and Manchester. Under this new partnership between councils and the private sector, councils put forward their surplus land into the Local Housing Company and have a full part in agreeing the development, which must include at least 50 per cent affordable homes. In return, private sector partners, provide the equivalent investment and homes and skills needed to build the homes.
- New proposals to deliver up to 75,000 homes in 20 more towns and cities, with £100 million into these areas for the schools, hospitals and other facilities needed to support homes, The councils in these areas of high demand, from Northumberland to Cornwall, have been selected as New Growth Points and have pledged to increase the number of homes in their local areas by up 20 per cent by 2016, delivering a total of up to 75,000 extra homes.
- Allocating the first tranche of a £510 million funding pot to reward councils who are working to bring land forward for development, helping to provide more homes and give the house building industry greater certainty that suitable land will be available when the market picks up. The Housing and Planning Delivery Grant is a direct incentive for councils who are taking action to meet the housing needs in their areas and rewards those putting plans and land allocations in place.
- Confirming that more funding, beyond the £200 million already allocated to buy unsold stock from house builders for affordable homes, could be made available, should the properties by in the right place, at the right price, and offering good standards. The Government believes this is the right approach rather than setting an arbitrary cap on the figure, to avoid the purchase of inappropriate properties. The Housing Corporation is now in discussion with many of the major house builders to discuss options for bringing unsold homes into the affordable housing sector.
- New plans to work with local authorities and housing associations to examine proposals for mortgage rescue schemes and the wider role they could play in supporting home owners. Some councils, for example, are assisting housing households through an emergency hardship fund, usually in the form of loans, as part of their homelessness prevention work.
- The National Housing Advisory Service will shortly publish a new advice leaflet for home owners, pulling together all the up-to-date contact details of major national money, debt and legal advice agencies into one consumer friendly document. The leaflet will be distributed in August by local authorities, CAB, Shelter, and money advisers.
Source: Government Office for the East of England
Don't wait, build your own
Families on the South Beds council housing waiting list were invited to make a saving of more than £11,000 by building their own homes.
South Beds District Council had sold a piece of land off Northall Close, Eaton Bray, to Rother Self-Build Consultants.
The company would provide backup throughout the DIY scheme to build 15 three-bedroom detached homes.
Applicants would pay £28,750 per home - but the actual value of each property was expected to be more than £40,000.
Source: Dunstable Gazette, 5 April 1984
Cantilupe Close self-build
Skilled craftsmen on the South Beds council housing waiting list have been invted to build their own homes, in a do-it-yourself scheme in Eaton Bray. The idea is that the homes can then be sold to them at cost price.
South Beds District Council, which is backing the project, has sold a piece of land off Northall Close to the self-build consultants behind the scheme.
The plan is for 14 three-bedroom detached homes to be built, starting in the summer.
Source: Dunstable Gazette, 26 January 1984