Issue - meetings

[The report of the  Director for Planning, Regeneration and Development. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and Planning.]Cabinet to agree the Housing Strategy and put this forward to Full Council in November for adoption.

The Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and Planning introduced Haringey’s Housing Strategy, following completion of a second stage of consultation for agreement and referral to full Council for adoption.

Although there was an existing Housing Strategy in place, the Cabinet Member felt it important to revise the strategy in response to a changed legislative and market environment and to set out clearly what the Council was trying to achieve for housing in the borough with a vision and priorities. Also, at the same time, having flexibility in the strategy to respond to nationally changing housing environment.

The Cabinet Member outlined the importance of housing: in building strong and successful communities, its impact on health, in childhood, in old age, and for influencing life chances.

The Cabinet Member set out the 4 housing priorities/objectives being followed which also underpinned the proceeding housing Cabinet reports on the agenda concerned with Housing supply, Temporary accommodation, Housing investment and intermediate housing. This included:

·         A step change in new homes being built – there was an evident need to build more homes as there was shortage of all types of housing and all types of    tenure as set out in the report due to previous government polices limiting the new build of homes. There was a need to serve people on low income left behind in the open market.

·         Improve support and help to prevent homelessness. The number of preventions had gone up through working with Home for Haringey but there was more to do.

·         Quality of housing for all residents includes working with providers in the borough to improve the quality of homes, being tougher on the design of the private homes, pushing up the quality of homes in the private rented sector.

·         Delivering wider community benefits such as more jobs and apprenticeships.

The Cabinet Member referred to the engagement with residents and homelessness residents when developing the strategy and spoke of the challenges being put forward to housing providers through the housing strategy discussions, generating new ideas to come forward, and demonstrating the Leadership value of the strategy.

In response to Councillor Engert’s questions:

• Tougher action was being taken forward on bringing empty private homes into use with more home owners coming forward to find solutions for these homes.

·         The AD for Regeneration provided examples of where flexible finance options had been taken forward to increase the numbers of affordable housing. At Hornsey depot where a change in the pricing of the Council land was taken forward to facilitate a higher number of affordable homes, also work with a Development Vehicle in which the Council takes an equity stake and brings in partners – High Road West  was an example of this

• All tenure of homes retro fitted - The grant from government to promote and provide funding for retrofit in private homes was ending and had had a good take up. Future zero carbon requirements for new homes will allow Councils to collect money from developers to meet this environmental requirement and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 89