People’s views could help shape housing strategy
NOT enough bedrooms? No back garden? Expensive rent or mortgages? Noisy neighbours? Rogue landlords? Damp on the walls?
People’s experiences and views of housing in Rossendale are wanted for a new council project aiming to see if existing traditional homes could be improved, as part of wider work to meet housing needs.
Making changes to existing homes, especially traditional terraced homes, could play an important part in addressing the borough’s wider housing needs, address population changes and ease the pressure to build brand-new homes on green fields, councillors heard.
In recent months, planning applications for new housing estates such as around Grane Road in Helmshore have been controversial.
Last week, councillors were told about changes made to small terraced houses in Liverpool and Salford, which have created extra bedrooms and better outdoor spaces.
They also recalled some improvements to terraced streets in Rossendale under the former ‘Elevate’ housing renewal programmes during the 2000s.
This summer, councillors are being asked to put their views into a new housing strategy for Rossendale.
Political groups will feed their ideas into a six-week consultation period. But local people are being asked to get involved too.
Households, both large and small, people of different ages, property owners, landlords, tenants, housing organisations, community groups and others will be asked to share their experiences so a new housing strategy reflects the reality of the Valley’s housing now.
Councillors discussed producing a new strategy at the latest meeting of the borough’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee.
Mandy Lewis, Director of Economic Development, gave a presentation which began with images of terraced houses in the Welsh Streets area of Liverpool.
She said: “These were two-up, two-down terraced homes which have been reconfigured inside and out. They might now have three bedrooms and areas at the back of houses have been changed too, with a mix of small and large private and public areas.”
She said a housing strategy was not legally required but would help with the borough’s future development. It would support wider ambitions for the Valley, aim to increase the number of good quality homes, let people remain in their own homes and live independent lives.
She said the borough currently has over 32,000 homes of which almost 70 per cent are owner-occupied. This is higher than regional and national averages. Meanwhile, the ratios of private rented and social rented homes are lower than elsewhere.
However Rossendale also has a ‘hidden homelessness’ problem, she said. People are forced to live with family or friends because they cannot find suitable accommodation.
Sofa-surfing, rough sleeping, families escaping domestic violence and tenancies coming to an end are some of the problems, she said.
Regarding housing waiting lists and allocation of social housing, Ms Lewis said: “Even though Rossendale Council has transferred its housing stock, it is still classed as a ‘housing authority’ by law, like other councils. It has to keep a list of people wanting homes, have a method of allocating homes, give advice on housing and homelessness, and influence the local private sector housing stock.
“To achieve better housing, we want to better understand our position, focus on managing existing housing as well as providing new homes which match needs, provide elderly and extra care housing, provide affordable homes for rent and for sale, and meet homeless needs.”
She emphasised the importance for councillor and public feedback: “We want a better picture of people’s experiences and feelings about homes. What factors impact on them?
“It could be damp homes, issues with neighbours, not having enough bedrooms or wanting a garden? We want to know all the things people feel, to see if we can intervene as a council? Our work as a council is not just about getting affordable homes on new sites.”
Councillors generally welcomed the idea for creating a housing strategy but there were some questions.
Labour Coun Andy MacNae said it was good to raise ambitions about housing and other transport, community, social and environmental issues.
However, did Rossendale Council or other bodies have the resources needed to carry out a large project and how would decisions on housing priorities be taken? Resources available should drive the activity, he suggested, He said: “I think we should have ambitions but we should not raise expectations that we cannot meet.”
Labour Coun Annie McMahon said: “I have been told there is no call for accommodation for people escaping domestic abuse. But I asked how we have looked at it? Many women want to stay in the area because their children are at school locally and they have local support. So I think we need to look at domestic abuse in more detail.”
Labour Coun Marilyn Procter sad: “I think housing feedback should be widespread. We have 36 councillors at Rossendale who all have direct links with residents in their areas.”
Conservative Coun Granville Morris said: “I think it’s a breath of fresh air to hear ideas about improving existing homes. Some other areas have decimated their terraced housing over the years. But some old terraced properties are wellbuilt.
“In the past, we had the Elevate housing renewal programme, which aimed to bring old houses into a better state of condition. Houses had money spent on them. There were improvements in areas here such as Bacup and Stacksteads including improvements to back alleys.
“Old houses are valuable and a fundamental change is needed to refresh those areas. I have spoken many times about the issues with older areas, such as with unadopted roads. But changes could cost millions so I hope we have the resources to do it.”
He added: “Modern houses are typically three and four-bedroomed so there is a shortfall of smaller homes.”
Labour Coun Patrick Marriott said one-third of Rossendale’s population was aged over 65. This should help shape housing strategy.
Coun Morris also asked for updates on empty homes in Rossendale, including semi-detached homes, and blasted rogue landlords.
He said: “We know there are rogue landlords out there and people are facing disgraceful situations. If necessary, we should take properties away from rogue landlords. We don’t want these types of landlords in Rossendale or anywhere else. We don’t want children living in damp or squalor.”
Referring to the former government-backed Elevate East Lancashire and Pathfinder housing renewal programmes in the 2000s, Coun MacNae said: “We may still have information from that era which would be interesting. There was a vast amount of money and it only scratched the surface. It was only about ten years ago.”
The Westminster-backed Housing Market Renewal programmes were launched in different regions of Britain during the 2000s, after riots in Burnley, Oldham and Bradford.
In east Lancashire, 21,000 houses were earmarked as unfit for government standards. The Labour government of that era, under Tony Blair, said major housing renewal was needed to regenerate old industrial towns. Major schemes of demolition, renovation and ‘new-build’ were needed, the government said.
In the north-west, the Elevate East Lancashire programme was launched in 2003 with a 15-year plan to transform target areas. It would later become part of another scheme called Regenerate Pennine Lancashire. But all the schemes were later ended under David Cameron’s Conservative-Lib-Dem coalition government,
Councillors on the Overview & Scrutiny Committee were also told that Rossendale Council is working with a consultant who has links to the government agency Homes England.