STEEPLE BARTON, WESTCOT BARTON AND SANDFORD ST. MARTIN
HOUSING NEEDS SURVEY REPORT March 2011
Tom McCulloch Rural Housing Enabler Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Jericho Farm, Worton, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX29 4SZ 01865 883488 [email protected]
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Registered office: Jericho Farm, Worton, Witney, OX29 4SZ T: 01865 883488. F: 01865 883191. W: www.oxonrcc.org.uk 2
Registered in England as a company limited by guarantee (2461552) and as a charity (900560)
Contents
Page Number
Steeple Barton Parish Profile 3-4
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council 5
Aim 5
Distribution and Response 5
Housing Profile and Affordability 6
Survey Results: You and Your Household 7-11 Affordable Housing Need 12-16
Findings 17-18
Appendix 1: 19 West Oxfordshire District Council Policy H12; Affordable Housing on Rural Exception Sites
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 3
1. STEEPLE BARTON PARISH PROFILE
This section focuses on Steeple Barton. Of the three parishes being surveyed, it is this parish in which a potential Rural Exception Site for local affordable housing development would be built.
Population and Place . The parish of Steeple Barton is in the ward of The Bartons, within the District of West Oxfordshire. . According to the 2001 census, Steeple Barton has a total population of 1500, comprising 597 households. . Steeple Barton is about 10 miles from Chipping Norton and about 11 miles from Banbury. . A newsletter is delivered within Steeple Barton and beyond, The Barton Bulletin.
Social Life and Churches . There is an Anglican church in the parish, St Mary’s, and also a Methodist Chapel. . There is a village hall and sports and social club in the parish, supporting various social and leisure groups. . Groups, clubs, societies, and organisations based in (or including) Steeple Barton include: cricket club, football club, history group, bowls club, yoga group, bell-ringers society, brownies, cubs, scouts, guides, allotment society, drama group, Jubilee Club (senior citizens), Bartons Benefice Choir, and British Legion.
Schools . There is a pre-school and primary school in Steeple Barton. The pre-school has 4 members of staff. The primary school roll is 110 with a capacity for 140. 6 teachers are employed by the school. . The catchment school for secondary-age young people is Chipping Norton School. . There is a bus service to take young people from Steeple Barton parish to Chipping Norton School.
Services . There are two pubs in Steeple Barton, The Carpenter’s Arms and The Fox Inn. . There is a village store and Post Office in the parish. . There is no doctor’s surgery in the parish, the nearest one being in Deddington. . A Mobile Library visits Steeple Barton.
Transport . Stagecoach service 59a serves Steeple Barton 5 times a day, Monday-Saturday (no Sunday or Bank Holiday service). . Heyfordian route 82 serves the parish once on a Friday. . Heyfordian route 90 serves the parish once on a Thursday. . Heyfordian route 23a serves the parish once on a Wednesday and Saturday.
Access to Services
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 4 Key access and transport indicators in Steeple Barton Steeple Barton Oxfordshire South East % % % Households with no car or van 10.1 18.2 19.4 Households more than 8km from the 100.0 35.1 18.0 nearest Job Centre Households more than 8km from the 98.3 2.5 1.9 nearest Secondary School Households more than 8km from the 0.0 0.2 0.1 nearest GP Source: CRC 2009, Census 2001. Note that our datasets for settlements are based on Output Area level definitions developed by the Office of National Statistics, so may include very small areas that lie outside the ‘real’ settlement boundary
NOTE: this information is taken from ‘Steeple Barton Parish Profile’, in Evidencing Rural Need, Action for Communities in Rural England (ACRE), 2010. This project was commissioned by ACRE on behalf of the Rural Community Action Network to strengthen the evidence base on rural need across England. The full Steeple Barton report can be requested from the RHE.
Deprivation
Key low income indicators in Steeple Barton Steeple Barton Oxfordshire South East % % % Working-age people receiving 6.7 8.7 11.5 any DWP benefit People who are "income 4.9 8.2 10.6 deprived" Income Support (IS) claimants 1.7 2.8 3.7 Children living in income 4.8 12.2 15.4 deprived households Older people receiving Pension 12.9 15.2 17.3 Credit Housing Benefit/Council Tax 8.4 13.7 16.6 Benefit claimants Source: DWP 2009, CLG 2007
NOTE: data source as above.
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 5
2. OXFORDSHIRE RURAL COMMUNITY COUNCIL
The ORCC aims to improve the quality of life for those who live or work in rural Oxfordshire. It supports programmes that are influenced by the needs of rural communities. The Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) promotes and assists Parish Councils and community groups to facilitate Housing Need Surveys in order to assess local needs for affordable housing.
. The RHE is employed by ORCC, part of the national network of Rural Community Councils. . The RHE is a member of the Oxfordshire Rural Housing Partnership, which works closely with rural communities to help meet their affordable housing needs.
3. AIM
The aim of the February 2011 Housing Needs Survey was to assess the affordable housing need of local people in (or with connections to) the parishes of Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin, and to gauge local opinion about a small development of affordable housing, which would be developed in Steeple Barton.
. Affordable housing is, in essence, for those who would be unable to rent or buy on the open market or who would have significant financial difficulties in doing so. . Housing need can be defined as the need for an individual or household to obtain housing which is suitable to their circumstances. . Housing need implies that there are problems or limitations with the household’s current housing arrangements and/ or that the household is unable to afford or to access suitable accommodation in the private sector. . Housing problems may be concerned with costs, size, location, layout, state of repair or security of tenure. . Housing need may be immediate or anticipated in the near future.
4. DISTRIBUTION AND RESPONSE
In order to carry out the Housing Needs Survey, questionnaires were hand-delivered by Steeple Barton Parish Council to all dwellings in the parishes of Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin in February 2011.
. The RHE, liaising with the Parish Council, prepared the structure of the survey. . Respondents were asked to return their surveys to ORCC by 25 February 2011, using a Freepost envelope. . The RHE analysed the returned surveys and prepared this report. . The survey does not claim to be representative of the entire population of the parish.
The survey responses were analysed in two parts. All respondents were asked to complete Part One of the questionnaire and respondents in need of affordable housing were asked to complete Part Two. Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 6
. The 2001 census identifies the parishes of Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin as having, in total, 755 households. . 204 surveys were returned, a response of 27% . In total, 70.5% of respondents said ‘Yes’ to the question ‘would you support a small development of affordable housing in Steeple Barton if there was a proven local need from individuals or families with a genuine local connection to the parish?’ Including the ‘Maybe’s’ this figure rises to 77.5%. 22.5% said ‘No’. . Of those respondents living in the Parish of Steeple Barton (where any potential Rural Exception Site would be built) 72% said ‘Yes’ to the same question above. 21% said ‘Maybe’ and 7% ‘No’. . No information is known about the non-respondents, and no assumptions will be made about their needs or requirements.
5. Housing Profile and Affordability
Current Mortgage Affordability in Oxfordshire
An average terraced property in Oxfordshire cost £236 487 in December 2010 (Source: www.home.co.uk House Prices Report for Oxfordshire – December 2009 to December 2010). In the current financial climate, it is proving difficult for many to secure a mortgage. Mortgage lenders typically require a deposit of c. 20%. On the figures above, this would equate to £40 000+. Even in the now unlikely scenario of a household being offered a mortgage of three-times salary, total annual income would have to be around £65 000. This is beyond the means of many first-time buyers and those with a low/ average or single income.
Current Sale and Rental Market Context in Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St Martin
In order to compare local housing conditions with those across Oxfordshire and contextualise survey responses with existing housing conditions in the parishes of Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St Martin, a web search for properties for sale or rent in the three parishes was conducted on 9 March 2011.
The results were as follows:
House type Price Totals for Sale and Rent
For sale 25 (incl. 4, 5+ bedroom properties) 4 bed end of terrace (Middle Barton 240 000 11 3 bed semi-detached (Middle Barton) 200 000 6 2 bed cottage (Middle Barton) 199 950 3 1 bed house (Middle Barton) 185 000 1 For rent 2 4 bed None available within 3 miles 3 bed terrace (Middle Barton) 825 pcm 1 2 bed cottage (Sandford St. Martin) 795 pcm 1 1 bed None available within 3 miles
Source: www.rightmove.co.uk
Note: where properties of a given size were not available in Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St Martin, the search radius was widened to 3 miles. The lowest price for each size property has been recorded. Sale and rent totals are based on properties available within the three parishes.
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 7 General Comments
At the average prices of homes in Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St Martin it would not be possible for a household to purchase a property without a large deposit, some equity in an existing property or a substantial income. First-time buyers would generally struggle to meet any of the criteria necessary for obtaining their own home. In some cases shared ownership housing would be a suitable option, whilst in other instances affordable rented would be advisable. However, there is a lack of rented accommodation in the three parishes. According to the 2001 census, 77.2% of the Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St Martin housing stock is owner occupied (581 properties), 18.1% is rented privately (105 properties) and 4.7% is social rented (69 households). 6. Survey Results
Part One – You and Your Household
Total responses: 204
Note: graphs are based on total responses. Where the total is less than 204 a respondent(s) declined to answer the question
Q1 Which parish do you live in?
Q2 How many people of each age group live in your home?
Q3 What type of home do you live in?
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 8
Q4 How many bedrooms does your home have?
Q5 Who owns your home?
Q6 How long have you lived in this home/ this parish?
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 9
Q7 Would you support a small development of affordable housing in Steeple Barton if there was a proven need from individuals or families with a genuine local connection to the parish?
Q8 If you answered yes or maybe to question 7 can you suggest a suitable site? *Frequency of suggestions is noted. Site suggestions may overlap but are noted as described by respondents.
Worton Road 13 Field above Hollier’s Crescent 12 Fields past playing field 2 Opposite pre-school 2 East side of Kiddington Road 1 Field beside Carpenter’s Arms 1 Field between Mill St. and Church Lane 1 School Lane 1 Land at end of South St. 1 Land at end of Church Lane 1 Land at junction of South St./ Church Lane 1 By allotments 1 Field on Kiddington Hill 1 Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 10 Mill Lane rough ground 1 Infill between Mill Lane and School Lane 1 East end of North St. 1 Corner of Church Lane 1 Duns Tew Road 1 Dashwood House 1 Fleming’s Field 1
Q9 Have any members of your household left the parish in the last few years?
Why did they leave? *some respondents gave more than one reason
Would they return if there was affordable housing in the village? Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 11
Q10 Does anyone living in your home need a home now or in the next 5 years?
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 12
Part 2 - Affordable Housing Need
Total respondents: 32 * Graphs are based on total responses. Where the total is less than 32 a respondent(s) declined to answer the question
Q11 How many people in each age group would live in the new home?
Q12 Why do you need a new home in this parish? *some respondents gave more than one answer
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 13
Q13 Who owns the home you live in now?
Q14 What type of home would you like? *some respondents gave more than one answer
Q15 How many bedrooms would your new home need?
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 14
Q16 Does anyone in your household have a specialist housing need?
Q17 Which of the following would be best for you?
Q18 Can you give us some idea of how much rent/ mortgage you can afford to pay?
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 15
Q19 If you are interested in shared-ownership, how much do you think you would be able to put down as a deposit?
Q20 Can you give us some idea of your household’s monthly income (including benefits but excluding housing benefit)?
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 16 Q21 Do you live in the parish at the moment?
If yes, how many years have you lived in the parish?
Q22 If you do not live in the parish now what is your connection to it? * some respondents gave more than 1 answer
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 17 Q23 Are you on the West Oxford District Council Housing Register?
7. Findings
143 respondents- 70.5%- answered ‘yes’ to the question: ‘would you support a small development of affordable housing in Steeple Barton if there was a proven need from individuals or families with a genuine local connection to the parish?’. 7% replied ‘Maybe’ and 22.5% ‘No’.
Therefore, there is support for a small development of affordable housing, based on a survey response rate of 27%.
From an analysis of Part Two of the Housing Needs Survey responses it is assumed there is an affordable housing need from 24 respondents. Although 32 people completed part two, 8 did not provide enough detail (and no contact details to allow follow up by the RHE) to be considered for an affordable home or were deemed not to be in housing need.
All respondents have a local connection to Steeple Barton (or Westcot Barton or Sandford St Martin). All would be unable to afford to rent or buy on the open market or have significant financial difficulties in doing so.
Results- Three Parish Summary
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 18
Rental
9 of the 24 respondents expressed an exclusive interest in a social rented property.
In addition, the rental calculation includes 9 respondents who expressed an interest in either a rented or a shared ownership property but are unlikely to be able to afford a deposit and/ or a mortgage in a shared ownership property. These 18 households would require:
1x 1-bedroom ground floor accommodation/ flat 1x 2-bedroom flat 2x 2-bedroom bungalow 12x 2-bedroom house 2x 3-bedroom house
Shared Ownership
6 of the 24 respondents expressed an exclusive interest in a shared ownership property. These 6 household s would require:
4x 2-bedroom house ( 3 unlikely to be able to afford deposit and/ or mortgage and 1 likely to be able to afford deposit and/ or mortgage) 2x 3-bedroom house ( both unlikely to be able to afford deposit and/ or mortgage)
The 5 respondents unlikely to be able to afford the deposit and mortgage on a shared-ownership property may wish to consider the social rented alternative. The rental calculation would have to be amended accordingly.
Housing Register
11 of the 24 potential applicants are not on the West Oxford DC Housing Register. The RHE shall write/ phone households and provide WODC Housing Forms, to ensure they register on the list.
Results- Steeple Barton Respondents Only
Rental
18 total: 1x 1-bedroom ground floor accommodation/ flat 1x 2-bedroom flat 2x 2-bedroom bungalow 12x 2-bedroom house 2x 3-bedroom house
Shared Ownership
4 total: 4x 2-bedroom house ( 3 unlikely to be able to afford deposit and/ or mortgage and 1 likely to be able to afford deposit and/ or mortgage)
Housing Register Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 19
9 of the 22 potential applicants are not on the West Oxford DC Housing Register. The RHE shall write/ phone households and provide WODC Housing Forms, to ensure they register on the list.
Summary
The findings of this report are exclusively based on the February 2011 Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey. Support for an affordable housing development in the parish and a level of affordable housing need has been identified.
The report is intended as a guide for future discussion on the potential development of an affordable housing scheme in Steeple Barton. These discussions shall also be informed by, for example, additional housing need as evidenced from the West Oxford District Council Housing Register.
8. APPENDIX 1
West Oxfordshire District Council Policy H12: Affordable Housing on Rural Exception Sites
5.93 In accordance with PPG3, Policy H12 continues the District Council policy operated since 1988. This allows the release of small sites within or adjoining settlements which would not otherwise be released for housing, specifically to meet local housing needs that cannot be accommodated in any other way.
5.94 The main need for rural exception sites is in parts of the District where there are no sites specifically allocated for housing in this Plan. A percentage of affordable housing is sought on allocated sites but the need for additional provision to be found through other sites in those settlements will
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 20 be determined by the timing of affordable housing sites already in the pipeline and by the overall level of housing need.
5.95 Schemes proposed under Policy H12 must be demonstrated to be economically viable and to be capable of proper management by a registered social landlord, who will also ensure that the accommodation remains low cost and is reserved for local people in need. Dwellings allowed under this policy will not count towards the Structure Plan housing provision (until built) in accordance with Government guidelines. In the first nine years of the plan period 64 dwellings were built on rural exception sites.
5.96 Before issuing planning permission for these housing schemes, the Council will seek a legal agreement under Section 106 of the 1990 Town and County Planning Act with all parties having a controlling interest in the land to ensure the Council’s objectives for such schemes are met, both in the short-term and long-term.
5.97 The legal agreement will restrict eligibility of applicants to those (and only those) in housing need and to those applicants who have ties with the specific parish in which the houses are to be built and appropriate adjoining parishes (neighbouring communities whose population does not exceed 75% of the main parish’s population), in accordance with the following criteria: i. existing residents (1 year) or previous residents (3 years in aggregate). Longer standing residents are given preference, i.e. where applicants have been resident for three years or more or five or more years previous residence; ii. family links with the parish(es); and/or iii. full-time employment in the parish(es); and/or iv. key workers being moved into the locality.
5.98 To ensure continued occupation and adequate revenue stream for the managers of exceptional housing sites, if accommodation remains unallocated after a certain time the criteria will be widened to cover people in housing need living within or with connections with West Oxfordshire District. Securing affordable housing under this approach is complex and early discussion with the Council’s Housing Department is advised.
5.99 An exception to normal planning policies does not mean allowing houses which cause unacceptable amenity, environmental, or highway problems. Sites selected must be well related to the existing village or town, and comply with the other policies of the Plan.
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011) 21
For further details about this report please contact:
Tom McCulloch Rural Housing Enabler Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Jericho Farm, Worton, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX29 4SZ 01865 883488 [email protected]
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council Steeple Barton, Westcot Barton and Sandford St. Martin Housing Needs Survey Report (March 2011)