Creating a housing market that serves all sections of the community
ROYAL BOROUGH: The council has asked the public to share their thoughts on its housing plans for the next five years.
The Royal Borough’s draft housing strategy for 20202025 has been published on the council website, outlining how it plans to create more homes for those who are most in need.
The plan outlines how the average house price in the borough is £476,000, more than 15 times the average UK salary, £30,420.
The draft sets out how the council intends to create a housing market that ‘works for all’ by delivering new homes in the form of social rent, affordable rent, private rented sector and shared ownership.
Other commitments include creating a ‘ladder of housing opportunity’, seeking infrastructure upgrades to go alongside largescale developments, supporting house building in the ‘appropriate’ location and assessing the needs of the Royal Borough’s traveller community.
Councillor Ross McWilliams (Con, Cox Green), lead member for housing, said: “As a council we don’t want to see the Royal Borough become a place where residents feel they need to move away because they can no longer afford to rent or buy, or where their children feel they need to move out of the area in order to get a place of their own.
“And we don’t want to become a place that doesn’t have enough social housing to support our most vulnerable people.
“We want to be a borough that delivers new homes not only for those coming into the borough, but for those who are already here.
“We do want to work with residents to make sure their voices are heard on this critically important issue.”
To read the housing strategy in full and participate in the consultation visit rbwm.gov.uk/home/ council-and-democracy/consultations/housing-consultations
It will close on Wednesday, February 3.