Minutes:
Haringey Council’s Strategic Housing Service
A presentation was given by Nick Powell, Head of Housing Development and Strategic Partnerships, on housing developments in the Borough.
An overview of the ‘Haringey picture’ was provided and it was noted that there were two key issues for Haringey in terms of housing:
It was noted that there had been a significant reduction in the use of TA during the last two years; however, this remained unacceptably high and remained a key area of focus for the Council. The number of people on the Housing Register, waiting for Social Housing, was currently at approximately 17,000.
Different challenges were faced in the east and the west of the Borough and the need to balance these issues was reflected in the plans and policies being worked to by the Council and partner agencies.
Homes for Haringey
The Chief Executive of Homes for Haringey, Mr Paul Bridge, gave a brief overview of the organisation’s role and priorities. It was noted that Homes for Haringey (HfH) was an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) that managed the Council’s housing stock.
As the ALMO, HfH was responsible for securing funding for the Decent Homes Programme; under the programme all of the Council’s housing stock would be brought up to Decent Homes standards by 2012.
Mr Bridge advised that HfH was committed to working in partnership with tenants, leaseholders and private sector landlords, to create the best possible outcomes for tenants. The organisation had built strong relationships with tenants via the creation of Resident Involvement Panels and these played a key role in influencingdecisions about housing issues that affected them, including anti-social behaviour and the repairs service.
London and Quadrant Housing Trust
The Neighbourhood Investment Officer, Ciaran Porter, London and Quadrant Housing Trust (L&QHT), gave an overview of the Trust’s work.
It was noted that the L&QHT was the largest Housing Association in London and was responsible for three thousand properties in Haringey. The range of properties managed by the Trust was diverse and included homes in mixed tenure estates. Similarly to HfH the Trust also placed a significant level of importance on engagement with tenants and developing mechanisms to encourage this.
Concern was raised with regard to the impact upon tenants of the cost attached to work carried out as part of the Decent Homes programme. It was requested that HfH should look at introducing payment plans over several years to ease the burden that this placed on tenants. The Chief Executive of HfH agreed to look at this issue.
There was discussion around the problems created by noise disturbance, particularly in flats and how this was addressed by Housing Associations and landlords. The meeting was advised that installing sound proofing was not a practical solution as it involved making significant alterations to the fabric of the building. The cost attached to making sound proofing a standard feature on new builds was prohibitive and could, in some instances, cause structural problems.
It was recognised that noise pollution could be distressing and clauses were included within tenancy agreements to mitigate this. The meeting was advised that if these clauses were not complied with it could lead to tenants being evicted.