Agenda item

Zero Carbon Affordable Homes Pilot Project

Assistant Director Housing Development and Regeneration, Chris Brown inform the group of the Zero Carbon Affordable Homes Pilot Project;

Stated that in 2019, the Council declared a climate emergency and committed to working towards achieving carbon neutrality and climate resilience by 2030. As a result SWT is developing policies and delivering actions to reduce the pace of climate change. In 2020 the Council agreed a Housing Revenue Account (HRA) 30 year Business Plan. This plan included an ambition to develop 1000 new affordable homes for the HRA over 30 years. These ambitions have been joined in this proposed pilot scheme to build up to fifty (50) zero carbon council homes and create a blueprint for future affordable housing developments in the District.

Comments made by Board Members included (responses in italic);

·       Concerns with the displacement of existing parking provisions on garage sites that have been identified for housing; there are going to be displacement of vehicles parking on the streets. We have not yet had planning approval on each site and this may have a big impact on how many sites can be built out. Alternative garage space may be offered but may not be convenient to some of the users. The wider question is the car use, rural areas usage would be essential for a long time to come and many of us think that our cars are essential where ever we live. We need to think if parking is a requirement in the future. We need to challenge this and push more public transport. Planning permission will force us to address that point;

·       Good report and very ambitious and I am looking forward to it. What are the risks with this project once it is finished? We do not want tenants knocking the properties about. I suggest that a tenancy agreement is drawn up to stipulate to the tenant that no internal structural alterations are to take place in the properties. If we have that in our tenancy agreement that will safe guard our investment; there will be risks with the sites themselves, so achieving 50 homes is a risk after we look at all the services the parking challenges, the existing access and any ownership, these might whittle down a bit and we may not achieve the 50. There are risks with the procurement process, we need to make sure that contractors deliver our high standards. Speed is another risk with challenges on time and the planning process, change of blend of units, more 2/3 in bedroom sizes. And risk to Right to Buy, we need to make sure that we spend the money;

·       With difficulties in the planning process, is our planning department on board with what we want to achieve? We expect them to be positive about this as many of the things that they want we are proposing. The design guide talks about good space standard, good quality design and low carbon homes. This will be an area of learning because for the first time we are putting a lot of schemes through planning.

·       We are happy to have Cllr Fran Smith backing these schemes and you also have the boards backing;

Resolved that the report is noted.