‘Chronic’ lack of affordable housing in the district could see thousands of new houses built

Westmorland and Furness district has a ‘chronic’ lack of affordable housing according to a council housing strategy report due before members of the councils communities and environment scrutiny committee at a meeting in Kendal next week that says the area ‘urgently’ needs more affordable homes.

The council is working to create its first Housing Strategy for Westmorland and Furness alongside working on the creation of a new local plan to replace the housing strategy and local plans of the former councils it replaced last April.

The report states: “We have a chronic lack of affordable housing, particularly in some of our most expensive places to live.”

Social rented housing accounts for less than 11 per cent of all properties within the Westmorland and Furness council area while the national average is 16.5 per cent.

Data shows Westmorland and Furness has some of the ‘least affordable housing’ outside the South East, while average property prices are 7.3 times higher than the average household income.

The council says in its report: “We understand that a lack of access to affordable housing acts as a barrier to economic growth, as well as putting pressure on the delivery of essential services as those on lower income struggle to access housing within our high value constrained housing market and we are committed to increasing the availability of affordable housing.”

The council also claims there are ‘growing shortages’ of affordable housing within the private rented sector and that since the pandemic the demand for ‘staycations’ in the district has risen, which has seen an increase in the number of short-term holiday lets.

The report says potential approaches by the council to tackle the challenges include securing 1,500 affordable homes through section 106 agreements over the next five years and facilitating the delivery of 200 affordable homes through affordable housing grant allocation.

Data from the office of national statistics shows Penrith has bucked the trend across Westmorland and Furness and the national average with 16.9% of the total houses in the town classed as social rented housing and a further 17.6% of houses in the private rented category.

Penrith also has an above average number of single person households at 35.5% with the national average of 30.1%

A new Local Plan is being prepared by Westmorland & Furness, along with government plans to radically increase housing targets, A new Local Plan is being prepared for Westmorland & Furness, with government proposals to radically increase housing targets, Westmorland and Furness council have said the council will be looking for development sites across the area to enable this.

Under new government house building targets for Westmorland and Furness Council they will be targeted with building 1,430 homes per year increased from the current 227 target.

The council is also planning to establish a plan to tackle empty homes that see the council Establish an Enforced Sales procedure, an Empty Dwelling Management Order procedure and a Compulsory Purchase Order procedure that could see owners of empty homes forced to sell them or face the council compulsory purchase them.

Members of the communities and environment scrutiny committee will discuss the report at a meeting in Kendal next week when councillors will be asked to help influence and shape the development of a Westmorland and Furness Housing Strategy.

What do you think about the prospect of 1000’s of new houses built in the area and properties facing potential compulsory purchase by the council if left empty?

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