WICKHAM COMMUNITY LAND TRUST (WCLT)
UPDATED HOUSING SURVEY: December 2008/January 2009
PART 1: Housing needs data collection
1. Purpose
The purpose of this survey was to update information received in the Housing Needs Survey of April 2007 in regard to ‘Housing through the Community Land Trust Model’ and specifically to establish, in respect of that Report’s ‘Recommendations’, the current level of interest in potential Community Land Trust properties. Following the 2007 Survey, a plan, subject to contract and planning approval, has been developed between Hyde Housing Association and Wickham Community Land Trust ( WCLT) for the development of 16 units on land at Mill Lane in Wickham. The split of properties between the parties is planned to be 8 each.
2. Summary of April 2007 Housing Needs Survey
2.1 The survey was conducted jointly by the Rural Housing Enabler and Wickham Affordable Housing Group (incorporated as Wickham Community Land Trust, in June 2008) with the support of Wickham Parish Council. The survey was hand delivered to 1700 households in the civil parish of Wickham. Its purpose was to establish the need for affordable homes in the parish.
2.2 The survey report was delivered to and accepted by the Parish Council in October 2007. The report’s recommendations were:
“That the Parish Council considers advancing the process to
achieve an additional scheme/s of affordable housing
1. to support the development of a scheme of 25 – 30 homes or two schemes totalling this number to meet the needs of those requiring affordable social housing.
2. to work with the Wickham Affordable Housing Group to support the development of 8 homes provided through the Community Land Trust model
3. to commence discussions with the other parties involved in the provision of rural affordable housing.
4. to explore the location and availability of any sites which the Parish Council may think appropriate
That the Parish Council makes the findings of the report available
to the local community.”
2.3 The City Council and WCLT’s proposed financial backers required that before planning applications could be made WCLT should confirm the demand demonstrated in the 2007 survey for properties provided on the community land trust model. In order for the new report to show a sufficient demand to confirm the recommendations of the 2007 survey, WCLT considers it necessary to show a demand for 2 – 3 times the number of proposed CLT properties (n = 8) recommended in the 2007 report i.e. a demand for 16 - 24 CLT properties.
3. Updated Housing Needs Survey Dec 2008/Jan 2009
3.1 Process
3.1.1 13 addressed communications were posted at the end of November 2008 to those who had responded to the original survey in April 2007 and who, in the follow up interview process, were shown to be eligible for a CLT property. The communication contained a covering letter, a newsletter, survey form and stamped addressed reply envelope. Appendix 1.
3.1.2 196 further addressed communications were posted on November 25th, 2008 to the remainder of the respondents to the 2007 survey containing a newsletter, survey form and stamped addressed reply envelope. Appendix 2.
3.1.3 A newsletter from WCLT was printed in the December 2008/January 2009 Parish Magazine. The magazine was delivered to 100% of households (n = 1829) in the civil Parish of Wickham in the first week of December 2008. An A5 survey form was included with each copy but a stamped addressed reply envelope was not included. Appendix 3.
3.1.4 6 further forms were issued in response to requests.
3.2 Responses
3.2.1 Raw data from the responses is given in Appendix 4.
3.2.2 8 responses (62%) were received from those in 3.1.1 above. Of these 4 were still interested and 4 were not.
3.2.3 80 responses (41%) were received from those in 3.1.2 above.
3.2.4 The high response rates to the postal part of the survey, demonstrates that the responses to the survey in 2007 came from genuinely interested households whose interest has been maintained. This group forms itself, therefore, into a ready-made target group for consideration of eventual nominations.
3.2.5 33 responses (1.9%) were received from those forms inserted as flyers in the Parish Magazine (3.1.3 above) and those individually despatched in response to requests generated by the magazine insert.
3.2.6 120 responses were received in all, representing a 6.6% overall response. A survey hand-delivered as a letter including a prepaid addressed return envelope, the process used in the 2007 survey (which achieved a 23% response), would most probably have achieved a far higher response. Delivery via a parish magazine and without a stamped addressed reply paid envelope appears not to be as effective a method of collecting data, especially at Christmas time. On the other hand if, from a low overall response rate, demand demonstrated by the survey for WCLT properties meets the criteria set at the outset (para 2.3), it can be assumed that the result underestimates true demand.
3.2.7 Of the survey forms delivered by post, 8 addressees had moved away.
3.2.8 It should be noted that a few respondents did not answer all the questions and some respondents ticked more than one answer. This is reflected in the totals and where possible will be clarified in PART 2 of the survey (follow-up interviews).
3.3 Interest in Wickham Community Land Trust Properties
3.3.1 35 respondents answered ‘yes’ to the question: “Are you or any other family member(s) interested in occupying an affordable/intermediate home through Wickham Community Land Trust?”
3.3.2 85 respondents said “No” to the question in 3.3.1 above.
3.3.3 Of the original 13 households interviewed in 2007 and considered eligible then for a CLT property, 1 had moved away, the circumstances of 2 have deteriorated, the circumstances of 2 have improved, and the circumstances of 1 remain the same.
3.4 Housing Requirements
3.4.1 Responses are as illustrated in the table below:
3.4.2 27 parties agreed to follow-up interviews.
3.5 Tenure Preference
3.5.1 Responses are as illustrated in the table below:
3.5.2 All 35 interested respondents answered in the light of the financial information provided on the back of the survey form.
3.5.3 In the light of that information three parties remain interested but would probably not be able to pursue an application.
3.5.4 32 positive responses stand, including 8 whose tenure preference was not stated. Of 34 of the 35 respondents have agreed to a follow-up interview that will be conducted before the end of February 2009. One respondent who did not declare tenure preference and who did not agree to an interview will be approached to clarify tenure status.
4. Conclusions
Trustees of Wickham Community Land Trust take these findings as support for continuing demand for housing under the Community Land Trust models ( subject to follow-up interviews to check that affordability claims are valid), and continuing support for the project to provide 8 CLT homes, as currently planned in association with the Rural Housing Enabler and Hyde Housing Association.
Wickham Community Land Trust
Revised 2.03.09
WICKHAM COMMUNITY LAND TRUST (WCLT)
UPDATED HOUSING SURVEY: December 2008/January 2009
PART 2: Interviews analysis
1. Purpose
Wickham CLT conducted part 1 of a two-stage housing survey in December 2008/January 2009. The 35 “yes” respondents expressing interest shown in PART 1 of the survey (above) were asked if they would be willing to be interviewed in PART 2 to assess their financial and local qualification for the properties WCLT proposes to offer on Mill Lane, Wickham.
2. Interview Process
2.1 34 of the 35 “yes” respondents to the survey agreed to an interview. A total of 26 interviews were completed: of the 8 households agreeing to an interview but who subsequently were not interviewed, 4 had made other accommodation arrangements/moved away, 3 decided not to be interviewed and 1 could not be contacted within the timescale.
2.2 The interview form and process adopted by WCC and the Rural Housing Enabler that was used in the interview process in the 2007 Needs Survey was used again. An additional question was added at the request of the Strategy Development Officer of Winchester City Council: “Would you object to living in a property next to someone in a similar property who was paying less than you because they are in a Housing Association property?” The question was added after the interview process had been started and a total of 5 households were, as a result, not asked the question.
2.3 The rental/shared equity monthly payments required to take up either tenure in a CLT property were presented to each household being interviewed after updating to allow for current market conditions (see Appendix 5)
2.4 Respondents who agreed to a follow-up interview were contacted either by phone or letter to set up the appointments.
2.5 Trustees of WCLT conducted the interviews. The Rural Housing Enabler was asked if she would like to conduct some but at the last minute was unable to do so.
3. Household eligibility for a CLT property
3.1 To determine if a household was eligible for consideration for one of the proposed WCLT properties the following criteria had to be met:
· monthly Intermediate Rent or Shared Equity outgoings for the property needed by a household to be 30% or less of gross income (defined as income from employment, regular overtime and other regular monthly income. Savings and help from others were excluded from the analysis)
· residential qualification by virtue of compliance with at least one of the following: living in the village or immediate neighbourhood; family living in Wickham 3 years or more; employment in Wickham or immediate neighbourhood;
· if a household failed to meet either/or the financial capacity/residential criteria it was excluded from eligibility.
4. Results
4.1 A total of 26 interviews were conducted in February/March 2009.
4.2 Of that total, 20 were deemed to qualify for the proposed WCLT properties:
Key: S = single person
C, NC = couple no children
C, 1C = couple and 1 child (or more as shown)
S, 3C = single, 3 children
4.3 20 households meet the financial and residential qualifications matched to their household need (i.e. number of bedrooms related to family size, genders).
4.4 The marker for viability of the WCLT project laid down by WCC’s Strategy and Development Officer is 2-3 times the number of candidates for each property. From the analysis it would appear that WCLT would be wise to reduce the number of 3-bed units it proposes to offer and increase the number of other units..
5. Shared Equity v Intermediate Rent
5.1 Interviewees were asked their preference between the two types of tenure
5.2 Of the 20 qualifying households equal numbers preferred the two options. When asked, those preferring Shared Equity would not be averse to accepting Intermediate Rent in the event that mortgages should still be difficult to arrange when the properties become available.
6. “Pepperpotting”
6.1 The additional question relating to the juxtaposition of HA and CLT housing produced the following result:
6.2 18 of the 20 “qualifying” households had no concerns over the proposition and the other 2 were not asked (because the question was added after they had been interviewed).
7. Conclusions
7.1 The demand for and ability of qualified households to afford WCLT homes in the numbers proposed is demonstrated.
7.2 The number of households interested in occupying a WCLT home in this survey compares favourably with the survey carried out, using the same interview forms, in 2007 when it was concluded that 13 households would qualify for a CLT home, 7 fewer than revealed in the current survey. The 2007 survey concluded that the various agencies involved should work together with WCLT “to support the development of 8 homes provided through the Community Land Trust model”. The conclusions of the earlier survey are thus amply supported.
7.3 Once the properties are advertised the CLT expects that eligible numbers will increase.
7.4 Potential occupants are split evenly in terms of preference for Shared Equity and Intermediate Rent but all qualifying households can afford at least Intermediate Rent.
7.5 Potential residents have no concerns regarding “pepperpotting” or rent differentials. Success of the proposed development will thus be a good means of increasing social cohesion and balance in the village, goals shared by the Parish and District Councils and the CLT.
Wickham Community Land Trust
March 11th, 2009