Housing

Buckinghamshire Community Action has employed a Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) since July 2003, with the remit to increase the provision of affordable homes in the rural areas of the Aylesbury Vale and Chiltern Districts.  The RHE works closely with Parish Councils, Housing Associations, landowners and all other relevant parties in order to deliver small projects of affordable housing through 'exception schemes' in villages under 3000 in population. Rural schemes are designed to meet proven local needs within a village and as such are usually fairly small (between 6-12 units).

RHE Aims

To work in the project area in partnership with Aylesbury Vale and Chiltern District Council, Housing Associations and other local partners in order to:

• Enable the provision of affordable housing to meet the local needs of rural communities within the part of Buckinghamshire that comprises the identified project area; and
• Raise awareness of the need for affordable housing in rural areas.

What is Rural Affordable Housing?

Meeting rural affordable housing needs can be achieved in a variety of different ways. In the Aylesbury Vale District, it will be common for most "exception scheme" affordable housing to be new build, on small sites. Planning permission will be granted for affordable housing schemes as an exception to normal policy (see 'Finding a Site' below). New dwellings will be owned by a Housing Association and either rented or part-owned by people with a local connection to the village concerned. Tenants who purchase a share of a property under the Homebuy initiative will usually be offered a 30-40% share of the dwelling and be able to 'staircase' to greater levels of ownership (i.e. 50%, 60%, 70% etc).  A small rent is charged on the unsold equity and ownership is restricted to a maximum of 80% so that the properties remain affordable in perpetuity.

In the Chiltern District, it can be difficult to develop affordable housing in rural areas due to high land prices and the planning restrictions imposed by the Greenbelt and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Consequently, although there will be some potential for new affordable housing development, much of the affordable housing will be provided through other initiatives. These include using existing accommodation (e.g. returning empty properties back to use, encouraging people to let out rooms etc) and helping people to access support in their own homes (e.g. help with mobility adaptations).

Who are dwellings on exception schemes for?

Affordable Housing is for people who cannot afford to buy or rent homes on the open market. 'Local people' considered for affordable housing include:

• People who have been permanently resident within the parish for at least three years, or
• People who are permanently employed in the parish, or
• People who have a LOCAL connection to the parish (i.e. any family associations and/or any periods of permanent residence in the parish not amounting to three years immediately prior to the allocation. 

Examples of 'local' people who maybe in housing need are those:

• In accommodation tied to their jobs,
• With insecure tenancies (such as assured short-hold tenancies),
• Living in dwellings which are in a bad state of repair,
• Living with family or friends,
• Living in a house which is unsuitable for them,
• Living away from the village (with a connection to the parish),
• Overcrowded households,
• Families forced to live apart because of a lack of suitable accommodation,
• Working in the area but unable to buy or rent privately.

Why is affordable housing needed in rural areas?

Rising house prices have meant that young people and those on lower incomes cannot afford to live in their village. Not only are people being forced to move away, but others cannot even afford that option and continue to live as part of an existing household. In some cases, the movement of people away may contribute to communities losing facilities such as village shops, schools and pubs in addition to an ageing rural population.

Exception Schemes - Aylesbury Vale District

Establishing the Need

In order to obtain planning permission for an exception scheme, a local need must be proven in the village.  Although district wide surveys give a broad overview of housing need in larger subdivisions of the district, they do not indicate the housing need in individual rural parishes. Consequently, part of the RHE's role involves undertaking housing need surveys at parish level, which establish very specific details in relation to housing need; such as information on incomes, tenures, affordable rents and dwelling sizes. (The data would be made available to the Planning department of the District Council in an anonymous form - as part of a public application for planning permission).  Survey details are updated throughout the development process and applicants must also register with the Council for rented and/or part-owned dwellings (Tel: 01296 585270).  

Finding a Site

Finding a suitable site can be one of the most time consuming parts of the process. The challenge is to identify a piece of land which meets planning requirements, is owned by a landowner who is willing to sell at an affordable price and can accommodate the number of units required. The sites selected are known as "exception sites". These are sites outside the village envelope that would not normally get planning permission for residential development and hence can be bought at a lower price, an amount which is usually just above the agricultural value of the land, but significantly less than its development value. To aid the process, the community and Parish Council are asked to put forward suggestions, as they usually have the best knowledge of available sites. A handful of sites can then be taken to the District Council Planning department to establish if they are suitable for an exception scheme.

Obtaining Funding for a Scheme

Funding for a scheme is sought from the Housing Corporation by a Housing Association. The Buckinghamshire RHE works closely with Hastoe Housing Association, Aylesbury Vale District Council's preferred partner for rural schemes. Hastoe has successfully obtained funding from the Housing Corporation for four schemes (totalling 39 units) between April 2006 - March 2008. Money has been allocated to the villages of Cheddington, Cuddington, Oakley and Waddesdon although funding can be "swapped" between villages should one project fail to progress.  There may also be some funding available for further rural schemes from the District Council.

Returning Empty Properties Back to Use - Chiltern District

As part of Chiltern District Council’s Empty Property Strategy, the RHE works to return long term empty properties back to use (those vacant for six months or more). An ongoing questionnaire is being used to identify the long tem empties and obtain information on whether they are suitable for re-use. Furthermore, the RHE carries out site visits to assess properties and engage with the owners early on. 

Chiltern District Council offers grants to meet the cost of major repairs to a property in addition to various letting schemes to encourage owners to return their property back to use.  The whole programme has been very successful, with over 100 properties being returned back to use as a result of Council intervention since the project begun in 2003.

Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs)

EDMOs are a new piece of legislation which were included in the Housing Act 2004 (effective from 1^st April 2006). EDMOs will enable Chiltern District Council to take over temporary management of longer term unoccupied houses and flats so that they can be let out to tenants. Properties will revert to their owners on an agreed date or sooner if the owner so requires – provided due notice is given and arrangements to repay any reasonable costs incurred by the council are settled. As Chiltern no longer own or manage any housing stock, the Council will be partnering with The Paradigm Housing Group if and when an EDMO is served on an empty property in the District.

NB. EDMOs will only be served if the owner has shown no reasonable attempts to return their property back to use and the dwelling is standing empty without good reason.

There are two types of EDMOS: - "Interim" (that last up to 12 months) and "Final" (that last up to 7 years).

For each type of EDMO, the role of The Paradigm Housing Group will be:

Interim EDMOs - To work with Chiltern District Council once an interim order has been made by:

• identifying any renovation works required and preparing schedules and costs for the works, and complete works necessary for occupation
• agreeing the type of rental most appropriate to each property, i.e. market rent or the level of sub-market rent,
• preparing the management schedule for a future Final EDMO should it be required,
• managing any tenancies made with the consent of the owner during the period of an interim order.

Final EDMOs - To work with the council through the period of final orders by:

• managing the properties on behalf of the council in accordance with the property’s Management Scheme,
• completing any renovation works necessary for the occupation of each dwelling,
• completing any repairs or other works necessary during the period of the orders,
• granting and managing tenancies for the properties including the collection of rents,
• keeping full accounts of income and expenditure for each property managed and making any necessary payments including those to the displaced proprietor and any other third parties,
• reviewing the operation of each EDMO and management scheme with the authority.

All the management and administration costs for inclusion in the individual management schemes will be agreed in outline within the overall contract for these services. Specific management costs will be agreed for each property at the time of making either an interim or final EDMO, taking into account the differences in management requirements for each property.

All management costs, any renovation costs and any compensation payable to 3^rd parties are expected to be covered by the rents received whilst managing the properties.

Private Sector Leasing

Chiltern District Council are looking to work with Frays Housing Association to deliver a Private Sector Leasing Scheme. This will involve Frays leasing properties from private owners for periods of up to 5 years and then letting the properties to persons from the Housing Register. As Paradigm acts on the Council’s behalf in managing the Chiltern District Housing Register, the Paradigm Housing Needs Team will have a key role in identifying and nominating prospective tenants for these properties. The Council will want to work in partnership with Paradigm and Frays to ensure that:

1. sufficient potential tenants have been identified for the scheme, and
2. effective arrangements are in place to ensure that nominations are made within the required timescales set down in the agreement between the Council and Frays.

Rural Housing Enabler Funding

The Rural Housing Enabler Project is jointly funded by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Aylesbury Vale District Council, Chiltern District Council, Hastoe Housing Association and Buckinghamshire Community Action.

REMEMBER the Rural Housing Enabler is an independent advisor, has no vested interest and is working for the benefit of the community.

Email: bca@bucks-comm-action.org.uk

Telephone: 01296 421036

Facsimile: 01296 331464

Jean Fox

Rural Housing Enabler