Cllr Graham Turner
introduced the Housing Delivery Plan update report, advising that
it is a detailed report which outlines work currently being
undertaken and projects in the pipeline and had recently been to
Cabinet.
Joanne Bartholomew informed the Panel that by 2026, there will be 900 more homes. Often the talk is about building houses, however, it is important to remember that it is building homes for people, much needed homes across the district. There are some key strategic sites, and the Panel will be updated on the two main ones, and also some of the other works in the pipeline going forward, giving consideration around affordability and a mix of housing.
Thomas Fish, Strategic Partnership Lead, gave the Panel an overview
of the appended report, advising that the first part of the report covers broadly what
the team are involved in, and the program of works including
some of the sites that are ongoing or in the process of
starting. There are sites within the
program, which are Council owned, including the two strategic
sites, Bradley Park, and Dewsbury Riverside.
The Council also
works with funding bodies such as the West Yorkshire Combined
Authority and Homes England, for any opportunities and funding
programs that they have. For example,
the accelerated construction program, in terms of the Soothill site, which used Homes England
funding. There is work on the town
centre living plans linked to the blueprints, looking at specific
properties within Huddersfield Town centre and within Daisy Hill,
using the town's fund funding.
The team works and sits on specialist supported housing forums
within the Council, and also works closely with colleagues in
housing services and planning, to secure affordable
homes. Work is also being
undertaken talking to register providers about the developments
they are doing off their own merit, but also ones where the council
looks to partner with them to deliver the Council sites.
There is also the Brokerage Service which looks at sites which may have stalled in the system or developers might need advice. The service provides specialist knowledge or help with partnership working with developers or registered providers who are interested in investing within Kirklees.
The appended report also touches on first homes, which is a very
specific technical element linked to affordable
housing. The service consults on
planning applications and provide specialist advice. Previously, there had been discounted market
housing, there has also been starter homes and the latest iteration
of a government discounted housing is first homes, which is part of
the affordable housing that has to be delivered for housing sites
across the district.
The Panel was informed that in terms of the sites, a great deal of work is going into each one of these sites, and there are many project managers working on different elements. The first site is Bradley Park, a large allocation within the Kirklees local plan. The Council owns a significant piece of the site and has been working using West Yorkshire Combined Authority funding on feasibility work. Following the recent Cabinet decision, an allocated budget has been agreed to take that feasibility work forward. Moving forward and looking at taking the sites to the next steps, the aim is to appoint a partner or a developer to progress the work.
In respect of Dewsbury Riverside, the largest allocation in the local plan, the Council owns 30 hectares of the 160 hectare site. There has been a lot of work that has been undertaken recently to relocate allotments to facilitate the central access into the site, where 43 replacement allotments have been constructed.
There was a
Strategic Planning decision taken in November 2022, on the first phase application for up to 350 homes
on the Council's land. Working
collaboratively with West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Homes
England, to look at the master plan and
reviewing where is suitable, based on the changes that have
happened since the local plan was adopted.
There will be the benefit of the Transpennine route upgrade and the new station,
which will be built on site. The
allotments have been replaced and reflecting on any planning policy
changes that have happened. There will
be more work going forwards, including significant engagement with
the community over the next 12 months in taking Dewsbury Riverside
to the next stages of development.
With regard to the town centre and the Huddersfield Blueprint, the
two buildings that are being focused on at this time, are Estate
Buildings and Somerset Buildings. Working with 13 Housing Group,
who are in Northeast strategic partner who deliver affordable homes
and also worked on centre regeneration in the Northeast and
elsewhere. They are currently looking
at the possibilities of regenerating and reusing those buildings
for housing. Over the next year,
working alongside 13 Housing Group and supporting them to look at
those options and hopefully move forward on Town Centre living
opportunities. 103 New Street project
is nearly at completion, and is four student accommodation and
people are currently living there.
In terms of Dewsbury, there has been the Daisy Hill neighbourhood, which is a key project within the Dewsbury Blueprint which is in the town investment plan alongside the other projects that got Town Fund funding.
The Panel was given examples of other schemes and projects and
informed that there are some bungalows for older people and
accommodation for people who have recently become
homeless, gateway properties which was
a real success story.
In respect of some of the other sites where there is partnership with private sector, the Ashbrow scheme will deliver 98 market for sale homes, 13 homes for affordable rent and 50 homes within the Council’s Extra Care Scheme. The project, particularly the Extra Care Scheme, has been challenging to get started, in the context of volatile construction market conditions and the aim is to complete it by September 2024.
It has taken a lot of resources and officer time to assist the developers because of the wider economic context of what has been happening over the last couple of years where developers have struggled, and the council has tried to support them.
The Panel was informed that the council is working with 13 Housing
Group, one of Homes England’s strategic partners, to deliver
around 200 affordable homes on five sites located across the
district. Cabinet approval was secured
in July 2022, to dispose of the sites to Thirteen Group.
Information was given on the Housing Brokerage Service which operates to provide assistance, where needed, for stall housing development sites across Kirklees.
The Panel
was directed to the report which showed a table that provided a
summary of what has been delivered, what is being delivered, or
what will be delivered in the near future around the
program.
In response to the information presented, the Panel asked questions and made comments including some of the following:
- The report refers to responding to the needs of the population and meeting local needs, based on getting information and intelligence, how are local people defined and who is being asked?
- The information does not give a breakdown of the size and stock that developers are being asked to deliver, whether they are 2, 3 or 4 bedroomed houses, is it possible to get this information including the number of bedrooms in the properties?
RESOLVED:
That Joanne Bartholomew and Thomas Fish be thanked for providing an update on the Housing Delivery Plan.
That information be brought to a future panel meeting which gives a full breakdown of the proposed housing stock including number of bedrooms