Agenda item

Report of the Director of Housing.

The Director of Housing presented the report to Members which provided an update on the progress with the Council’s new build programme in respect of the potential schemes at various sites across the District.  Further to the report he stated that the precise mix of dwellings for the site at Willesley, Ashby was four two bedroom bungalows, three two bedroom houses and a single one bedroom apartment.

In response to a question from the Chairman, the Director of Housing stated that the first stage of the scheme would be a traditional build but other methods such as a modular design could be looked at in the future stages.

Councillor D Harrison thanked the Director of Housing for the comprehensive report.  He added that it was important to get the design of the homes right so that tenants would have an attractive home they could be proud of.  The Chairman responded that he had been out on a number of Planning Committee site visits and seen the attractive designs of affordable homes currently being built.  He was confident that the officers were capable of making the right choices with regards to design.

Councillor T Eynon was pleased to see that council homes were being built and hoped for many more in the future, particularly bungalows which were sought after.  She expressed the importance of accessible parking for the proposed bungalows as it could make occupiers lives very difficult if their vehicles were parked too far away from their front doors.  Councillor A C Saffell concurred.  The Director of Housing took the comment on board.

Councillor N Smith raised concerns that the modern technology available regarding heating was not being considered for the bungalows, especially since Councillor J Bridges was a leading expert in the field.  The Director of Housing stated that it was something he would look into.

Councillor J Geary thanked the Housing Portfolio Holder for attending to listen to the Committee’s comments.  He was very pleased that council houses were being built and that the residents  who would be using the community centre at Linford Crescent and Verdon Crescent were being consulted.  He felt strongly that the Right to Buy Scheme had contributed to the lower number of council houses now available and asked if the new builds would be protected against it.  The Director of Housing explained that there were cost floor mechanisms in place to provide some protection which would mean that the cost of the build would  always be recovered and therefore  any discount available would be  much reduced.   This mechanism would be applied against any purchase for up to 10 years.  In response to a further question, the Director of Housing stated that the cost did not include the value of the land because the land was the Council’s to begin with, and therefore free.  Councillor J Geary expressed concerns that by allowing the  sale of land, then there would be no where to build new homes in the future.

It was moved by Councillor A C Saffell, seconded by Councillor D Harrison and

RESOLVED THAT:

The comments from the Committee be considered by the Housing Portfolio Holder and Director of Housing.