Butleigh Parish Housing Needs Survey
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Butleigh Parish (including Butleigh Wootton) Housing Needs Survey Conducted by The Community Council for Somerset 6 March 2017 Telephone 01823 331222 I Email [email protected] I www.somersertrcc.org.uk Community Council for Somerset, Victoria House, Victoria Street, Taunton TA1 3JZ The Community Council for Somerset is a Company Limited by Guarantee, Registered in England & Wales No. 3541219, and is a Registered Charity No. 1069260 © 2017 This report, or any part, may be reproduced in any format or medium, provided that is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. The source must be identified and the title of the publication specified with the copyright status acknowledged. Contents Introduction 1 Aims, Methodology, Presentation and Interpretation of Data 2 Summary 3-5 Findings 6-22 Respondent profile 6-8 Overview of housing needs and development in Butleigh 9-11 Site features and proposed dwellings for any proposed development sites in Butleigh 11-13 New open market housing 14-16 Housing for older people 16-20 Additional comments (see Appendix 2) 20 Affordable housing summary 21-22 Appendices Appendix 1: Questionnaire Appendix 2: Verbatim comments Appendix 3: Full Survey Results Summary Tables Appendix 4: Respondent Profile Affordable Housing [access restricted to CCS and MDC employees] Tables Table 1 Typical property and rental levels (cheapest 25%) for Butleigh Parish and surrounding area 1 Table 2 Affordable housing (11 respondents) 22 Charts Chart 1 Gender 6 Chart 2 Parish residency status 6 Chart 3 2nd property in Parish 6 Chart 4 Parish holiday accommodation 7 Chart 5 Length resident in parish 7 Chart 6 Age 7 Chart 7 Overall household ages 7 Chart 8 Butleigh Nursery/School – past pupils 8 Chart 9 Butleigh Nursery/School – current pupils 8 Chart 10 Household size 8 Chart 11 Property size 8 Chart 12 Views on amount of current housing in Butleigh Parish 9 Chart 13a Level of support for future development Butleigh Parish 9 Chart 13b Level of support for future development Butleigh Parish – LOCAL CONNECTION 9 Chart 14 Type of housing supported 10 Chart 15 Tenure types needed most 10 Chart 16 Main concerns about future housing development in Butleigh Parish 11 Chart 17 Housing type supported for new developments 11 Chart 18 Property size support for open market homes 12 Chart 19 Sufficient provision to avoid on-road parking 12 Chart 20 Main improvement resulting from re-investment 13 Chart 21 Open market: reasons for moving 14 Chart 22 Open market: type of property vs number of bedrooms 15 Chart 23 Open market: desired property features 15 Chart 24 Open market: price 16 Chart 25 Older people: property exchange scheme 16 Chart 26 Older people: timescale for moving 17 Chart 27 Older people: preferred tenure 17 Chart 28 Older people: reason or moving 18 Chart 29 Older people: type of property vs number of bedrooms 18 Chart 30 Older people: special adaptations 19 Chart 31 Older people: likelihood of remaining in home with adaptations 19 Chart 28 Older people: price 20 Introduction Butleigh Parish (including Butleigh Wootton) is situated in the heart of Somerset and consists the villages and hamlets of Butleigh and Butleigh Wootton. It is in the Mendip District Council Authority. The closest medium-sized towns are Street (4 miles) and Glastonury (5 miles) where there are many local amenities. The large town of Yeovil is 13 miles south, Bridgwater, Taunton and cities of Bristol and Bath are within commuting distance - all provide commercial and employment centres. There is a scheduled bus service from Street to Wincanton serving the Parish. Trains linking London and south west are accessible from Castle Cary (@ 10 miles). Butleigh Parish has a primary school, pub and a church/meeting room. Other local businesses include a village shop and a campsite. The closest medical centres are in Street. In the 2011 census the population usually resident in the Parish was 823 in 360 households.1 House prices in the Parish are very high in relation to average incomes. The Land Registry records 24 sales 2016 (January - December 2016) at an average price of £479,375. The average income for a full-time employee in Mendip is £27,5002. For Mendip as a whole, the current ratio of lower quartile house price to lower quartile earnings is 9.053. This means that owning a house is out of reach of many, particularly younger people wishing to remain in the Parish. 7 properties are currently being marketed in Butleigh Parish on the Rightmove website (6.3.17). The cheapest is a 1 bed semi-detached bungalow for £142,500, and the most expensive £2,500,000 (6 bed). Table 1 – shows the typical prices used to measure what a resident would expect to pay for a property in the cheapest 25% of homes (although this cannot be measured accurately for 1-2 bedroom properties due to the lack of sales of these house types in the Parish). For 1 bed properties there is only 1 house sale recorded in the last 2 years, and calculations for 2 bed properties are also over a 2 year period as opposed to the last 12 months. This has been calculated by looking at Land Registry sale prices in Butleigh. The 2011 census found 113 privately rented households1. There are currently no properties for rent on the main lettings websites, local press or private agents. Because of the lack of local properties to rent in Butleigh, prices in a 3 mile radius have been used which includes Street. Table 1 – Typical property and rental levels lower quartile (cheapest 25%) for Butleigh and surrounding area Private rent weekly Property size Sale price (monthly)* 1 bedroom £125,000* £114 (£494 pcm) 2 bedrooms £196,875** £138 (£600 pcm) 3 bedrooms £289,875 £200 (£760 pcm) * Based on 1 property sale in August 2015 ** Based on property sales in the last 24 months In 2011 there were 10 social rented homes1 in Butleigh Parish. There were also 3 shared ownership properties at that time.1 No properties have been advertised to let or exchange in Butleigh on the Homefinder website in the last 3 years. The vacancies created in this limited stock are unlikely to have a significant impact on any need identified in this report. ____________________________ 1 ONS Census 2011 (KS102EW), (KS401EW) and (KS403EW) : Butleigh [accessed 6.3.17] 2 Source: Somerset County Council, Somerset Intelligence Partnership, http://www.somersetintelligence.org.uk/occupation-and-earning- november-2016 and Somerset Joint Strategic Needs Assessment – 2015 http://www.somersetintelligence.org.uk/house-prices-2015/ [accessed 29.01.17] 3 Source: UK Government, Department of Communities and Local Government, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live- tables-on-housing-market-and-house-prices#history, Table 576 Mendip [accessed 6.3.17] P a g e | 1 Aims Butleigh Parish Council’s overall aim is to better understand and meet the housing needs of Butleigh Parishioners in the next 15 years, feeding into the first stage of a Neighbourhood Plan. This survey particularly sought to: Explore the views of current Parish residents to help determine housing needs within the Parish in the short, medium and long term (0-15 years) Investigate the need for affordable housing for local people in Butleigh Parish and for those wishing to return. The type of tenure, house size and timescale of need Establish opinion in relation to site features and proposed dwellings for any proposed development sites in Butleigh Parish Establish future housing need for older people in the Parish over the next 10 years Methodology 380 paper surveys were distributed to every household on the electoral role in the Parish with reply paid envelopes for direct return to CCS. The survey was also available to complete online (see Appendix 1). In total 145 valid responses were received giving a 38% response rate. Research was conducted between 24 January – 10 February 2017. Data from the paper surveys was input by CCS staff using proprietary online survey software. Presentation and Interpretation of Data The sample size is relatively small, therefore undue emphasis should not be placed on specific percentages. Where a number of respondents with a particular view, or response to a question is very low, the report will normally include a ‘base’ (identify the actual number of responses/opinions involved). Where figures do not total 100% this may be due to computer rounding or the exclusion of ‘don’t knows’. P a g e | 2 Summary Demographic data: 145 people participated in the survey, representing 344 household members. The 38% response rate is statistically significant, and in CCS’s experience this is a strong response rate from a community, particularly on a single issue consultation. The overwhelming majority of respondents live in the Parish (96%). Just 5 people live outside the Parish, 2 of them have strong Parish connections and are looking to return with the help of affordable accommodation. 2 in 3 have lived in the Parish for over 11 years (67%). 5 respondents own more than 1 property in the Parish (4%). 4 have lived in the Parish for over 11 years, and 2 of them let part or all their property for holiday accommodation. Overall 5 respondents have properties which are used for holiday accommodation (4%). The gender split between male and female respondents is very close, with marginally more female respondents (53%) to male respondents (47%). There are marginally more working age respondents (under 65yrs: 52%) compared to those of retirement age (65+yrs: 48%). No young people took part in the survey (aged 24 and under). Around 1 in 3 households are families with children/young people aged 18 or under (33% - 44 families).