Issue - meetings
Report from the Housing Task Group (Demand, Supply and Affordability)
Meeting: 10/05/2016 - Cabinet (Item 4)
4 Housing (Demand, Supply and Affordability) Task Group 
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Minutes:
Background:
This report provided details of the in-depth review into the demand, supply and affordability of housing in Medway. A copy of the Task Group’s report was attached to the report which set out the findings and recommendations of the Task Group together with the comments from the Regeneration, Community and Culture (29 March 2016) and Business Support (14 April) Overview and Scrutiny Committees.
It was noted that the Task Group’s terms of reference had been to review the demand, supply and affordability of housing in Medway in the context of the key social and economic role that housing plays, particularly for those who are struggling to access housing.
The Member Task Group had met with mhs Homes, Hyde Housing Association, Redrow and Berkeley as well as Medway Citizen’s Advice Service and a Kent representative from the National Landlords Association. In addition, there were briefings from officers and desktop research was undertaken.
A Diversity Impact Assessment was included with the report from the Task Group review.
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Decision number: |
Decision: |
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66/2016 |
Recognising that the Council, as a regeneration authority, will wish to continue to use its best endeavours to meet its objectively assessed housing needs, the Cabinet agreed to make representations to the Government that the Council should not be penalised as a result of developers failing to deliver housing, particularly where planning permission has been granted. |
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67/2016 |
Given the importance of building enough homes to meet the increasing need for housing, the Cabinet agreed to lobby the Government to introduce measures to encourage developers and land owners to develop sites for housing which have the benefit of planning permission or are allocated for housing development, within the relevant timeframe, in the Development Plan or Neighbourhood Plan. |
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68/2016 |
In relation to sites identified in recommendation 2 above, Cabinet agreed to ask the Government to consider introducing a national scheme for a local tax on undeveloped (land banked) land in order to: · incentivise developers and/or landowners not to sit on sites they have acquired and have either planning permission or are allocated for housing development, within the relevant timeframe, in the Development Plan or Neighbourhood Plan, and;
· to build out more quickly where planning permission has been given. |
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69/2016 |
The Cabinet agreed with its partners to explore the use of more innovative construction methods and forms of housing in order to increase the supply of homes. |
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The Cabinet noted that the Director of Director of Regeneration, Culture, Environment and Transformation is asked to agree that developers be offered at the pre-application stage, as a matter of course, the opportunity to commission services needed before development on sites can commence, for instance archaeology, ecology and contamination studies in order to allow schemes to start on site without further delay. |
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70/2016 |
The Cabinet agreed to work with partners to identify suitable funding sources and opportunities in order to develop additional homes, including securing external funding to help meet the costs involved in getting sites ready for development. |
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71/2016 |
The Cabinet agreed to ask ... view the full minutes text for item 4 |