All Statements Have Been Collated by Subject in Order to Provide Clear Responses

Ashleworth Housing Development Consultation

Event held 18th November 2014

Introduction

All statements have been collated by subject in order to provide clear responses.

Resident’s personal information, or reference to specific details that may identify an individual, have been removed

Responses have been given from Tewkesbury Borough Council and Severn Vale Housing Society.

Next Steps

1. Present this document to the next Parish Council meeting along with Gloucestershire Rural Community Council who will present the outcomes from the Ashleworth Housing Needs Survey conducted November/December 2014.

1. At this meeting determine a way forward with the Parish Council and residents about the route they wish to take to meet the affordable housing needs of the parish.

Contents

Comments and responsesPages 2-6

Appendix 1: Explanation of terms usedPages 7-9

Appendix 2: Tewkesbury Borough Council Code of Good Practice for Page 10
Building and Demolition Site Operators

Comments and responses

Land adjacent Bloxham’s Orchard

Comment / Response

1. Proximity of a new housing to footpaths close to existing housing

/ We strive to ensure all residents have their say in the design of new housing through a rural exception scheme. Such issues as proximity to existing homes and orientation of windows will be a major consideration.

1. Not in support of the land adjacent Bloxham’s Orchard for housing development on the basis that it will spoil an historic area with visual impact on several properties

/ This point is noted, along with the information given on the day of the consultation regarding the land, its ecology and the potential positioning of new homes on the land. All these issues will be considered to determine the viability of a project.

Other potential developments

1. Impact of a possible development by Bloor Homes on the west side of the village should be considered in the assess of affordable housing needs

/ A developer-led housing scheme is not built to meet the specific affordable housing needs of Ashleworth. Any such development with affordable housing planning contributions will need to meet a borough-wide housing need whereby 40% of the homes are to be affordable housing. These affordable homes will not be specifically for local people, they will be to meet the housing needs of Tewkesbury Borough.Currently there is no planning application for residential development under consideration by the Local Planning Authority (Tewkesbury Borough Council) on this land.
Note: With a rural exception project that we are seeking to facilitate in the village is specifically for the needs of Ashleworth. Hence why a small development of affordable homes has been suggested.

1. A site should be found that is fair to all residents and benefits the village as a whole.
   Objections to building on farmland – there are other more suitable areas in the village

/ We are of course open to looking at all opportunities to meet the identified housing needs of Ashleworth.
We can take this forward with the Parish Council, for example where they undertake an exercise to identify potential land for small development and test their suitability as a rural exception housing project.

Continued overleaf

Design comments

Comment / Response

1. The design, nature and number of units should reflect existing modern housing units and layouts currently found in the village.

/ The design and layout for a rural exception housing project is required by Building Regulations to be built to high standards and quality. The Homes and Communities Agency are more likely to support (fund) such a project if it achieves higher standards than the norm.
The Council is also more likely to support new housing in the Borough that is of high quality, has accounted for the local community’s opinion, and is integrated well into the existing design and style of existing homes.

1. New development should enhance the village and blend in with the existing visual amenities.

Meeting the housing needs of local people

Comment / Response

1. How new homes for local people could benefit the community through use of the school and other local community venues – increased use of the shop, post-office, sports facilities and other voluntary groups

/ It is a Council strategic priority to support local communities. Ref: Tewkesbury Council Plan 2012-16
By providing affordable housing for local people, small housing development through rural exception projects can enable rural communities to continue to thrive by supporting the local economy and maintaining services.Ref: Planning Practice Guidance: Rural Housing

1. Meeting the needs of particular families with children.

The provision of low cost housing should be based on a proper needs assessment established by a properly conducted survey. This should only be based on the true needs of the village and the immediate surrounding area.
No discussion should be had until after the housing needs survey has been performed and the evidence for it fully appraised / A rural exception housing project is about these reasons exactly; to deliver housing to local people to meet their needs.
A housing needs survey has gone to all households in Ashleworth to establish local need and this will be used to evidence any new affordable homes that may come forward through a rural exception project.
The survey is used as part of a wider evidence base of information on housing registers (Gloucestershire Homeseeker and Help to Buy South) to determine the need. A key part of the housing need information will also come directly from the community during initial project discussions.
More often than not the community is keen to see family housing for their children to be able to access in the future.
New homes can be through both rented and home ownership products with a housing provider in association with the Homes and Communities Agency (the regulator for affordable housing).

Meeting the housing needs of local people continued

1. Any non-affordable homes should be limited

/ A rural exception housing project can consist of market housing. Any such homes will only be acceptable to achieve the delivery of the affordable housing. It also means that profit from the sale of these homes must go towards the delivery of the affordable housing.
Where land is ‘given up’ for affordable housing a land owner may wish to build market housing in return for the land (rather than transfer the land to the housing association for a monetary value). In this instance these homes must be appropriate to the development and small in number and purely to achieve the delivery of the affordable housing.

1. All the residents in the village should gather to work out how best to meet that need so that no one group of residents is disadvantaged.

/ Any development of affordable housing in Ashleworth will be in conjunction with the community – this is a requirement of a rural exception housing project.

Environmental comments

Comment / Response

1. The water drainage system already considerably over loaded

There is also flooding from the drains on to the surface.
Increased flood risk.
Assessments of surface and foul water drainage
Do not exacerbate existing issues / The drainage and flooding of the roads was a great concern of the residents that we spoke to and this consultation has been invaluable in understanding the issues about not just the land adjacent Bloxham’s Orchard but about the village as a whole. These will be taken seriously in determining whether new homes in this location will be suitable and viable.

1. The mature trees on the land at the moment should be considered for retention

There is an old shed on the site where a colony of bats nest each year; they are a protected species and concerns have been raised about the plans to build on this site.
Impact on wildlife / Any new development must consider the impact on the current environment and requirements under planning legislation i.e. to preserve protected species (through undertaking all required assessments on the land) must be considered and integrated/preserved according to any potential planning conditions placed on the housing project by Tewkesbury Borough Council as the planning authority.

Continued overleaf

Environmental comments continued

1. Noise impact

/ Not a specific comment made on noise.
If this is about construction noise then the Council has guidelines for builders regarding suitable times for [types of] construction. If there are specific concerns from the Environmental Health Department about the possible impact of construction then planning conditions can be placed on the housing project which must be adhered.

1. Additional street lighting and associated running costs

/ The provision of street lighting would be determined by GCC Highways. Modern street lighting is more directional, has less impact on the night sky, and uses less electricity.

Roads and Traffic

Comment / Response

1. The road system is not sufficient to cope with the new demand/ additional traffic.

/ County Highways are a statutory consultee and they will inform a developer, and the local planning authority, of the impact of a new development as according to the planning application submitted, and how any impact might be alleviated.

1. Size and design of roads to the development should create the minimum inconvenience to those currently living in Bloxhams Orchard.

/ Noted. The aim is for a quality development and road design and access will be a key part of a proposal.

1. Public transport to and from the village is poor

/ The provision of public transport service often arises from the current use and expected use of new homes. Households will be aware of the rural nature of Ashleworth and will consider whether they are able to live in the village. Many occupiers of affordable housing have use of their own private motor vehicles and off-road parking is provided.

1. Teachers and visitors to the school parking on-street and around the village green, better provision would ease the pressure on Bloxhams Orchard.

/ We understand that there are on-road parking issues in and around Bloxham’s Orchard and that residents would like this to be eased.

1. Therefore no access for essential vehicles

Continued overleaf

Community contributions

1. Any funds that come as result of development should be given to the community

/ A rural exception project is built for the purposes of meeting a local identified housing need. These types of housing development do not need to secure planning gain/ planning contributions i.e. community contributions. All monies must go into the delivery of the affordable housing project.

Employment

1. There are no businesses in the village

/ Not a specific comment made on this but a rural exception project is not determined based on local employment opportunities. Households who express they have a housing need to live in Ashleworth, and who have a local connection, will be aware of the nature of the village and indeed the implications and opportunities of living in this rural community.

Garages in Bloxham's Orchard

Comment / Response

1. Demolish the garages.

Resulting area surfaced for use asover-spillcar parking forresidents and visitors.
Additional parking at the other garage site on Bloxham’s Orchard would be useful for teaching staff and visitors to the school.
Preferred development of garages [rather than Green Belt land].
Would not object to development of garage block – this may improve the existing site.
Increased parking on-street as garages mostly not used. / Many residents stated that vehicles are not parked in them but are used for storage. The use of the garages will need to be evaluated and will be undertaken by Severn Housing Society as they manage these garages.

1. If the garages go this will make the parking situation worse.

If garages were kept in a good state of repair people would be more inclined to use them. / Alternative provision of car parking will be considered prior to demolition of garages.

----End of comments and responses----

Appendix 1: Explanation of terms used

What is Affordable Housing?

Affordable Housing is defined by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF, 2012) as “Social rented, affordable rented and intermediate housing, provided to eligible households whose needs are not met by the market. Eligibility is determined with regard to local incomes and local house prices.”

Who is eligible for Affordable Housing?

There are criteria for both [social and affordable] rented and intermediate tenures but anyone has the right to apply for Affordable Housing in Gloucestershire. The main criteria relate to affordability (income & savings) and household size. The criterion for rented housing is determined by local authority housing policies; in Tewkesbury this is through a county-wide partnership called Gloucestershire Homeseeker. Intermediate housing such as shared ownership and shared equity housing is through Help to Buy South.

What Affordable Housing is proposed in this project?

At present we hope to provide affordable rented housing and shared ownership housing. All of which will be allocated/sold by a housing association using the register of applicants for Affordable Housing through Gloucestershire Homeseeker & Help to Buy South.

Why must there be Affordable Housing on new developments?

Planning obligations secure planning matters (through Section 106 Agreements) arising from a development proposal and are used to align the development with the objectives of the local and national planning policies. Planning obligations used to prescribe the nature of development, to compensate for loss or damage created by a development, to mitigate a development’s impact; and to capture planning gain. Affordable Housing is just one of these obligations along with community facilities, Highways, libraries, play areas and green spaces for example.

This development is termed a ‘Rural Exception’ project, what does that mean?

It is not a typical development that must secure planning obligations as above. A Rural Exception Site is a special circumstance of housing development and is purely driven by the Affordable Housing need within the local community. Therefore a housing need must be identified in order to bring about a rural housing development.

How is this need determined?

This local need is identified through a current Parish Housing Needs Survey undertaken by the Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC) in conjunction with the Parish Council. In addition, the council will use evidence from Gloucestershire Homeseeker & Help to Buy databases. Together this evidence determines the numbers and type of Affordable Housing required for a new housing project.

Will these homes be for local people?

Yes, preference will be given to people with a local connection with AshleworthParish. A Rural Exception Site is determined by the evidence for housing for local people hence the work the GRCC and council do to determine housing need.

How will local connection be determined?

Sections 198-201 of the Housing Act 1996 and chapter 18 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance cover the rules on local connection of the Affordable Housing (rented and intermediate). The legal agreement may state for example:

“Those Eligible Persons who are considered by the Borough Council and the Housing Association in the following order of priority

1)Immediately prior to the occupation be ordinarily resident or in permanent employment or have immediate family connections (resident Mother Father son daughter brother sister or other strong family connection as is agreed with the Council) within the Parish of Ashleworth

2)Immediately prior to the occupation be ordinarily resident or in permanent employment or have immediate family connections (resident Mother Father son daughter brother sister or other strong family connection as is agreed with the Council) within the Tewkesbury Borough administrative area

3)Immediately prior to the occupation be ordinarily resident or in permanent employment or have immediate family connections (resident Mother Father son daughter brother sister or other strong family connection as is agreed with the Council) within the Gloucestershire County administrative area”

Why must there be a cascade to outside the Parish?

The cascade must apply for a number of reasons. The main one being that Affordable Housing cannot be left empty/void. If there is not an applicant with a local connection to Ashleworth at the time of initial letting or subsequent letting, the housing association then must be able to offer the home to an applicant with a local connection to the second cascade and so on. The housing association is required to make best use of its housing stock by the Homes & Community Agency and the provider of development funding.

For how long will local connection be applied?

The Affordable Housing and the criteria against which it is allocated must be in perpetuity and so any such local connection criteria will apply for every allocation/sale of these homes.

How many affordable homes can be built on a rural exception site?

The number of homes, and type, will vary depending on need in that particular area. Policy HOU14 states that sites must be “small in size”. In Tewkesbury sites have varied in size between 2-20 units.

Continued overleaf

Why is some open market housing built on rural exception sites?

Bringing a Rural Exception project forward is not always financially viable as there may be issues regarding roads and access, drainage or energy supply to the land. It is now acceptable and recognised (NPPF, 2012) that in order to build Affordable Housing in a rural area, some open market housing is also built to off-set the costs of the Affordable Housing development.

Will the occupiers of the shared ownership homes be able to reach 100% ownership?

Yes, the occupier will be able to ‘staircase’ their ownership to 100%. If at time of sale they own 100%, the home will be bought back by the housing association. This is in accordance with the Homes & Communities Agency requirements that the home remains as Affordable Housing in perpetuity.

Applying for Affordable Housing

• Affordable Rented Housing – Gloucestershire Homeseeker website
• Shared Ownership – contact Help to Buy South Customer Services on0845 6041122 or email Website
• For advice on your housing circumstances contact the Tewkesbury Borough Council Housing Options Team on 01684 272212 or email

Please ensure that you detail your local connection to Minsterworth when applying for new affordable homes.