Clerk: Mrs. L Rampton

Parish Council Office,

Winscombe Community Centre,

11 Sandford Road, Winscombe,

North Somerset BS25 1JA

Tel: 01934 844257   Fax: 01934 844292

 

Affordable Housing Working Group Meeting Notes

Friday 8th April 2011, 12 noon

Link Room, Winscombe Community Centre

 

Members Present:            Steve Bridges (SB), Archie Forbes (AF), Mike Williamson (MW).

Others Present:                        John Parry (JP), Knightstone Housing Association Development Manager

Clerk:                           Lynne Rampton (LR)

 

Apologies for Absence:            Geoff Luckett (GL), Gavin Rider (GR), Chris Sampson (CS)

 

Background: Knightstone Housing Association is well acquainted through a previous meeting (23rd Feb 2011) and from information available on the Parish Council website of attempts made by the Parish Council to date for the delivery of affordable housing. JP was given verbal background information concerning the withdrawal of Summerfield Developments as the developer working in association with English Rural Housing Association for this parish in 2010.

 

Update on the need for Affordable Housing in this Parish: Information provided by NSC describing 68 households in Winscombe registered on the Homechoice register (as at 16th March 2011) that had been circulated to all Parish Councillors at the March Parish Council meeting was discussed. The table describes the households who currently live in Winscombe who were on the Register at that time but excludes those in adjoining parishes and any who have a local connection to Winscombe, but who do not currently live here. The table does not set out the tenure requirements for the households but this information, available at a later date, will be able to determine the ability of applicants to raise a mortgage or afford a shared ownership product. The Parish Council, at their meeting held on 17th March 2011 unanimously concluded that there is sufficient evidence of a need for affordable housing in the parish based on an analysis of information held on the NSC housing register. JP will meet with NSC Housing Officers to consider a mutually agreeable strategy to proceed on this basis. A letter received in response to Parish Plan Report communication from NSC Director of Children and Young People’s Services refers to published pupil number estimates for both Winscombe and Sandford Primary Schools with the falling level of anticipated demand for places over the next 4/5 years at both schools raising serious concerns for the future viability of the schools from those present at the meeting.

 

Site Search Report: Suitability of a number of sites contained within the report were discussed with a few further parcels of land located within the settlement boundary being identified that JP will make enquiries as to availability at an affordable price. Contact details for a number of known landowners were relayed to JP to enable him to make initial tentative enquiries and it was advised that one owner of a parcel of land, situated outside the AONB and identified as an exception site in the report has made contact with KHA. Whilst not all those present at the meeting were in agreement, the search for available land in Sandford as well as Winscombe should continue. All were in agreement that a number of small phased developments of around 10 dwellings each may be better suited to address the requirements of the parish. JP will make contact with NSC Planning Department to ascertain their observations on the areas of land identified as potential sites.

 

Affordable housing event: Late 2010, the Parish Council agreed that a further housing event should be held. KHA and NSC representatives will be present at that event to answer parishioner questions and KHA architects will prepare artist impressions of how a small housing development could look. These impressions will not be plans for submission as part of any planning application, will be subject to adjustment to make these site specific and may also include relevant observations made through consultation. Further discussion will take place on arrangements/possible dates for a future event at the next meeting of the working group but sufficient time will be allowed for the event to be well publicised with notice of this to be placed in the ‘Church Parish magazine’ and the ‘Home & Local’ as local publications delivered to the majority of households in the parish.

 

The way forward:

A further meeting of the working group will be convened after JP has

1.       Met with NSC Housing and Planning Officers.

2.       Made initial contact with a number of land owners concerning land availability.

 

Meeting closed at 12.50 pm*