AUSTREY HOUSING NEEDS SURVEY.
NOVEMBER 2013
Commissioned by Austrey Parish Council in partnership with North Warwickshire Borough Council for the Neighbourhood Plan
ContentsPage No’s
Summary of Results3
Planning Context3
Survey Results4
Resident’s Comments (Appendix A)17
Properties for Sale (Appendix B)24
Contact Details25
Summary of Results
300 forms were distributed throughout the village and we received a return rate of 93 forms. This equates to a response rate of 31%.
This is the first Housing Needs Survey that has been completed in the village, so we have no other results from previous surveys with which to do comparisons.
This Housing Needs Survey is also vastly different to other surveys that we have done as this is the first one that has been done as part of a Neighbourhood Plan which not only looks at the here and now, but also at what may be needed within the next 20 years within the village.
Planning Context
The village is situated within attractive countryside in the north of the Borough, close to the Leicestershire border. It consists of approximately 400 houses, two churches, a primary school and a pre-school, public house, Village and Methodist halls, 2 playing fields and a shop/post office. There are also some ancient earthworks in the field by the Church and ridge and furrow surviving in some adjoining fields. There are at least 14 listed buildings/structures, some with altered fronts, but at least five of them show old timber framing.
The current Core Strategy proposed a minimum of 40 dwellings should be provided in Austrey over the period up to 2028. A number of sites have been identified in the draft Site Allocations Plan as options to deliver the housing requirement. A further consultation on the Site Allocations Plan will be undertaken in early 2014.
The village has an active community and Parish Council, which is currently involved in the development of a Neighbourhood Plan. The village has limited services and its rural location and limited public transport services reduce its sustainability and capacity/potential for significant new development. Nevertheless there is some potential for small scale redevelopment or expansion.
Survey Results
Do you own your own home (with or without a mortgage)?
Yes – 86 (92.5%)
No – 7 (7.5%)
If you rent your home, which of the following do you rent your property from?
Private Landlord – 2 (28.6%)
Housing Association – 0
Local Authority – 5 (71.4%)
Employer – 0
Other - 0
Would you like to own your own home, but cannot afford to buy one in Austrey that suits your needs?
Yes – 1 (14.3%)
No – 6 (85.7%)
Would you be happy to continue to rent your home or consider moving to another form of rental arrangement?
Yes – 7 (100%)
No - 0
At the beginning of this survey, you were given explanations about all of the possible housing tenure options that could be available to local people unable to purchase a home outright. Do you think that this form of housing is appropriate for Austrey?
Shared Ownership/Shared Equity
Yes – 53 (57%)
No – 40 (43%)
Social Rent via Local Authority or Housing Association
Yes – 32 (34.4%)
No - 61(65.6%)
Open Market Rent
Yes – 57 (61.3%)
No – 36 (38.7%)
Intermediate Rent
Yes – 38 (40.9%)
No – 55 (59.1%)
Low Cost Home Ownership
Yes – 61 (65.6%)
No – 32 (34.4%)
Self Build Plots
Yes – 50 (54.3%)
No – 42 (45.7%)
Self Build Co-operative Plots
Yes – 38 (40.9%)
No – 55 (59.1%)
Live/Work Units
Yes – 34 (36.6%)
No – 59 (63.4%)
Is your home the right size for your current needs?
Yes – 77 (82.8%)
No – 16 (17.2%)
Is your home the right size for your future needs?
Yes – 49 (52.7%)
No – 44 (47.3%)
Do you need to move to larger accommodation, either now or in the next 20 years, but are unable to do so because no suitable property is available?
Yes – 11 (12%)
No – 75 (81.5%)
Not available – 6 (6.5%)
Do you need to move to smaller accommodation, either now or in the next 20 years, but are unable to do so because you cannot find a suitable property?
Now – 10 (10.8%)
Next 20 years – 32 (34.4%)
No – 52 (55.9%)
Do you have any family or dependents (either living with you or elsewhere) who wish to purchase their own home in Austrey, but cannot afford to buy in the open market?
Yes – 14 (15.1%)
No – 79 (84.9%)
Are you likely to have family in this category within the next 20 years?
Yes – 21 (22.6%)
No – 72 (77.4%)
Self Build – Do you or anyone related to you have any interest in building your own house in Austrey as a way of providing a house more appropriate to your needs than present accommodation?
Yes – 19 (20.4%)
No – 74 (79.6%)
In the next 20 years, do you think that you will see it desirable to move to a smaller or easier to maintain house/bungalow in Austrey? Do you have older relatives who would like to live near your family who would find such an alternative attractive?
Yes – 46 (50%)
No – 42 (45.7%)
Relative – 8 (8.7%)
If you have answered yes for yourself or a relative, can you indicate the factors that would make such an alternative attractive?
Low Maintenance House – 33 (63.5%)
Bungalow – 39 (75%)
Attractive Views – 28 (53.8%)
Close to Amenities – 35 (67.3%)
Small Garden – 32 (61.5%)
Attractive House – 21 (40.4%)
Shared & Maintained Gardens – 12 (23.1%)
Warden Supported – 14 (26.9%)
Low Maintenance Spacious Apartment – 17 (32.7%)
One Bedroom – 4 (7.7%)
Two Bedrooms – 38 (73.1%)
Three or more Bedrooms – 8 (15.4%)
Extra bedrooms on site available for visiting relatives – 10 (19.2%)
If new Housing Stock is developed in Austrey to be attractive to young families (whether affordable or market priced), what do you think the factors are that will make this housing acceptable or desirable to current residents:-
Energy Efficiency
Yes – 78 (84.8%)
No – 14 (15.2%)
Large Gardens
Yes – 24 (26.1%)
No – 68 (73.9%)
Visually Attractive
Yes – 69 (75%)
No – 23 (25%)
Close to Amenities
Yes – 56 (60.9%)
No – 36 (39.1%)
Primary school within walking distance
Yes – 70 (76.1%)
No – 22 (23.9%)
Close to green play areas
Yes – 66 (72.5%)
No – 25 (27.5%)
If close to green play area, would smaller garden be acceptable
Yes – 57 (62%)
No – 35 (38%)
Meets EU house space directives (more spacious than typical UK built starter homes)
Yes – 56 (61.5%)
No – 35 (38.5%)
Be designed to accommodate home working
Yes – 42 (45.7%)
No – 50 (54.3%)
Do you know of anyone who works in Austrey, but who cannot afford to live in the village?
Yes – 10 (10.8%)
No – 83 (89.2%)
To your knowledge have you, or any of those indicated as being unable to afford a suitable home in Austrey, registered this need with North Warwickshire Borough Council?
Yes – 2 (2.2%)
No – 91 (97.8%)
In your opinion, do you think that Austrey suffers from the wrong type of housing provision for local people and their families?
Yes – 33 (35.5%)
No – 60 (64.5%)
Do you think that Austrey should develop any of the following over the next 20 years?
Shared Equity and shared ownership priced below open market values – 40 (47.1%)
Social Homes provided by Local Authority or Housing Association – 22 (25.9%)
Rented accommodation provided by landlords at open market rent levels – 22 (25.9%)
Rented accommodation provided by Landlords at rents below market levels – 17 (20%)
Homes for Local People – 69 (81.2%)
First Time Buyers – 63 (74.1%)
Other – 15 (17.6%)
Do you think that Austrey should provide affordable homes for people who do not live, work or have a family connection to the village?
Yes – 33 (35.5%)
No – 60 (64.5%)
Would you be prepared to take part in a more in depth analysis as part of the Neighbourhood Plan process to establish the sort of housing that would be right for Austrey?
Yes – 21(22.6%)
No – 72 (77.4%)
Appendix A
Residents Comments
- Perhaps a Doctor Practitioner Nearer plus accommodation for said.
- I feel that it is important that Austrey retains its “village” status and that only very limited building should be allowed.
- What Austrey definitely does not need is more executive 4 + bedroom homes. If the village school, shop, pub are to survive – and these are the heart of the community – we need some affordable 2-3 bed terrace/semi/town houses for young families/couples to rent or buy and possibly for older people who want to downsize. Many of the smaller 3 bed detached have been extended putting them out of the price range of younger people. I would even welcome some 1-2 bed flats/apartments so our young people could move out of the parental home.
- My family and I chose to live in Austrey because we liked the housing mix as it is now – particularly the range of older properties. We would prefer to see no development at all in the village, unless unused outbuildings etc, can be sympathetically converted to provide smaller properties for those wishing to downsize or first time buyers. This is a relatively unspoilt rural village. It is bed enough that we are to have HS2 on our doorstep, blighting the landscape. Let’s not make it worse by building on Greenfield sites. There are enough derelict buildings in our towns and cities – why not spend money renovating those instead? The urban areas would look better and our villages would remain unspoilt. We all know how lucky we are to live in Austrey, so why change it??
- Austrey already has a diverse choice of properties suitable for all ages and family sizes.
- 2 bedroom accommodation with garage and off road parking with garden. Pleasant view to suit couples or single people wishing to remain in the village who have children that no longer live at home when they finish university. To keep a sale where their children have been busy and grown up in.
- I am concerned that the whole survey seems to lead us to providing smaller cheaper housing that is not suitable for a rural village with very limited employment prospects and very poor public transport links. If people are to live and prosper in a village like this, transport is needed and this is usually by car.
- There are too many large detached houses. Most have been extended, pricing a lot of people out of the Austrey market. There is practically nothing priced below £180k (current market prices) for first time buyers or even those looking to expand/move up a rung on the ladder. There is nothing for older residents to downsize to (though I’m not convinced that many actually would even given the chance). The village needs an area akin to the current playing fields in a more central sociable location. Therefore, I think we need bungalows ¾ bed semis (on an estate like Newborough Close, not exclusive estates like Glebe Rise). However, this needs to be balanced with the consideration that any developments should be in keeping with current village life.
- Current situation is ok circa type of house available now. In future I believe we need a larger proportion of mews type semi-detached 2 or 3 bed properties in the £130 - £150k range either for sale or rental, a significant increase in suitable retirement property and only a very small amount of property development over £300k a unit. Sixty new homes would provide only a 1% growth per annum over 20 years. The school, the shop, the pub, the village hall etc need this as a minimum if they are to survive. I would not like to see high density development. We have space if sensibly used, everyone should be entitled to their bit of open space. I would strongly caution against too much Parish Council involvement in the style/type of housing built, by all means choose the right type of developer, then let them do the job!!
- Housing for the elderly is in short supply in Austrey. Existing bungalows to buy are large on the whole with grounds to match. When we have to down size, we will probably have to move to a 3 bed family house which will still be too big for our needs. Austrey also has a lot of widows living at present in family homes, when something smaller would suit in the future. Last year I helped my sister move into a lovely flat in sheltered accommodation. Having lived in a semi detached bungalow for 40+ years on her own, the relief of not having to worry about roof repairs etc in her middle 70’s has been immense. She’s still in the same area and is leading a very independent life. Frankly I am envious. Suitable housing for elderly people frees up family homes that already exist.
- There is no point in providing low cost housing, whether rental or for sale, when the only way out of the village is a bus to Tamworth. The last and first bus services preclude anyone working further afield than Tamworth (i.e. you need a taxi both ways) and travelling north, even to the health centre is virtually impossible without a car. People need to live closer to their workplace in an area with good transport links.
- When I moved into Austrey, when I first got married at age 18 I hated it – now 36 years later I still hate it. It was like living in the outback. It takes almost a hour to get to Tamworth on the bus, plus a hour to get back. The last bus back home departs from Tamworth at 18.45 – so we have no chance of a social/night life. If I have to go to Nuneaton or Birmingham for hospital appointments, I have to leave said Birmingham/Nuneaton at approx 4pm to get into Tamworth to catch the last bus home, thus, you can’t have a full day out or go to the ballet or theatre – even if you went to the matinee performance, you would still miss the last bus back to Austrey. When I had young children, they couldn’t attend after school clubs (or detention) as they couldn’t get back home afterwards. Now that I am in my 50’s, the situation is still not improved and I feel that I have been a prisoner in this village for the last 36 years. Even my sister who is not disabled and has a good job and who can drive and who was previously thought Austrey was proper scenic and idealistic has now realised that realistically although she would love the country bumpkin lifestyle, the actual cost of driving to and from Tamworth to work every day would be way too expensive – hence she can’t afford to come out to visit me. Due to the bedroom tax I have applied for a small bungalow – but I would like one near a city or on a very good route where I could finally get a social life.
- There is already too much traffic on local lanes; Austrey has no A or B roads. This is particularly true at commuting times. Sometimes the pollution caused can be very unpleasant when working in the garden and dangerous when walking on the lanes. More traffic is the inevitable result of more homes as there are so few local jobs. This would be a bad thing.
- Some types of low level (3storey) apartments can be attractive to those of 2 person families with maintenance built into the contracts. These could be discreet, visually attractive and in effect space efficient. Some aspects of current building practice in Austrey where as many as possible houses are crammed into an old farmyard are all but Victorian (back to back). All that is needed is an outside toilet and a warehouse to be complete – albeit very very expensive ones.
- Whilst not wishing to sound snobbish or exclusive, I and virtually everyone I know, moved to Austrey for what we are getting, namely a quiet, well ordered and pleasant community. If the property values are higher than in other places, the people who move here are choosing to do so in a free, open market. In other words, people are opting into what we have. Any policies (devised/researched by yourselves or others) that compromise the very character of the place that attracted people may unsettle or upset a large proportion of the residents. It is patently obvious that Austrey has developed into an affluent, middle class commuter village. There is a high proportion of professionals who have moved here because they are able to and the character of our community has evolved accordingly. However well intentioned plans that alter the demographics could potentially alter this character. I believe that the young people who move here now are the type of young people that the community needs to maintain its character. I also believe the institutions in the village will ultimately benefit. The changes I would like to see would include houses that allow elderly Austrey residents to down size and anything that may encourage a little entrepreneurial enterprise.
- More accommodation for the elderly so that they can stay in the village near to friends and family who can continue to support them.
- With an aging population it might be possible for older people to form a co-operative or similar, in order to build a high spec residential property to include a number of essential facilities.
- As everywhere getting started on the property ladder is difficult. I have lived in 3 houses here – 3 bed then 4 bed, rented and next, owned 3 bed. Key to the village are the school, shop, churches and pub. If anything were to be built, I’d favour homes for young families.
- I would like to see houses for families that have bigger spaces, but less rooms. I feel the 4 bed homes are cramped inside and some have tiny gardens.
- There is plenty of “executive” housing available, but very little smaller housing suitable for first time buyers. The smaller houses in Yew Tree Court are the only small ones! I think the idea of building onto the Bishops Field in the heart of the village is brilliant. We need more small houses to keep the school open. Also bungalows fro the “executives” to move to when they can no longer maintain their big houses and gardens!
- Bungalows are in very low supply with aging population throughout the village, more need to be built to help!
- Affordable houses for first time buyers
- Houses in Austrey are only built for richer people, they move in the village and out again and make money on property.