y

of deliver s Housinge

dableal hampshir r u or enabling six year in r Aff Acknowledgements: thanks to Rural Housing Enablers Debbie Rhodes, Julie Eden and Gordon Richardson for the work which led to all this and to Chris Buchan-Hepburn, Shirley Whitfield and Marilyn Smuland for their help in producing this report and to Sifer Design. Contents 1

// Page 2 Introduction

// Page 4 Case Study 1 – South Wonston

// Page 6 Case Study 2 – Ropley

// Page 10 Other Schemes: Commentary Hurstbourne Tarrant Copythorne Burley Barton Stacey Stockbridge Froxfi eld Twyford Wickham Broughton Sherfi eld English Charter Alley Wellow Grateley and Headley South Warnborough Goodworth Clatford Wherwell Monxton Boldre Littleton Swanmore Eversley Stratfi eld Saye

// Page 26 Strategic Work

// Page 28 ...and the Future

Right: The Genesis Design Studio Introduction

The Work of the Rural Housing Enablers: Six Years on

This is a celebration of achievement over the past six years by the Rural Housing Enablers based at Community Action (CAH). CAH provides a range of services for the community and voluntary sector and rural communities across Hampshire.

By achievement, is meant enabling the delivery of 235 affordable homes for local people for rent and shared ownership in villages across rural Hampshire.

The rural housing enabling role means working closely with rural communities, mainly with the Parish Councils, to help to address a now widely acknowledged problem: that house price infl ation has pushed open market housing beyond the reach of those on what tends to be lower rural incomes and that there has been a loss of affordable housing through Right To Buy legislation with the result that incomers buy the expensive housing and the younger and less affluent leave to fi nd affordable housing. Where a parish wants to address the issue, the enabler will do a housing needs survey to show the scale of the problem and to gauge community backing and support them in helping to find a site should they wish to meet the need. It involves liaison at many Parish Council meetings, meetings and liaison with landowners, housing associations and planners and many public consultation exhibitions and events. This on-the-ground fieldwork, mostly in parishes of less than 3,000 population, is what lies behind the schemes built, on-site or with planning permission seen on the following pages: these homes are the product of this enabling process.

And celebration is an appropriate word in a field where headlines are often dominated by problems and problem creators:

// ’nimby’ neighbours oppose village homes for low-paid locals

// villages become expensive geriatric and commuter enclaves while young leave to find affordable homes

// planners reject proposed sites for affordable village housing

Left: Kingsclere, Sentinel HA Top Right: Preston Candover site Bottom Right: Ropley 2 / 3

Such issues are real and the delivery of houses has often meant overcoming such barriers as the following commentary will indicate. Yet by the time houses are built, usually by a housing association with Government funding provided through the Housing Corporation, and people congratulate each other at opening ceremonies, the work that enabled such schemes to happen is often forgotten. Indeed, it was listening to speeches at ‘openings’ with no mention of or thanks for the work of the Rural Housing Enabler which led to the idea for this report.

But while there is an element of recording achievement, the main purpose is to show local communities which have not addressed the affordable rural housing issue what can be done, how it can be done and to see the results so that they might be persuaded to make contact to discuss the possibilities in their own villages.

It is also a record for those agencies which have funded the Rural Housing Enabler project over the past six years. These agencies have been the Government through the Countryside Agency and Defra; the six rural local authorities – East Hampshire, Hart, & Deane, Winchester, Test Valley and New Forest, these latterly with CAH and the Housing Corporation as part of the Hampshire Alliance for Rural Affordable Housing (HARAH); Hyde Housing Association as the preferred developer and, most recently, Hampshire County Council which has joined the partnership and picked up the funding shortfall caused by the withdrawal of Defra.

On the latter point, it is hoped that the delivery of homes is a vindication of the value of rural housing enabling to funders, not least in support of colleagues nationally where posts have been lost in Rural Community Councils but also those located in other organisations which play a major role in this work, in particular the Rural Housing Trust.

In money, the work of the Rural Housing Enablers has seen the investment of £16 million of Government funding in rural housing in Hampshire. But ‘It’s amazing. I love my house. The kids there have also been parishes where we have not been able to deliver, love it because they have a garden with usually through a combination of nimbyism, planning constraints and room for a trampoline and it’s perfect inability to find sites or a willing landowner: it can be a difficult and for me as I’m back in the village where contentious role. I grew up – my mum lives just over the road...’ Finally, on behalf of the team of Rural Housing Enablers and Community Action Hampshire, I would like to thank the above agencies and Jo from South Warnborough organisations for supporting the project. And while our professional language can justify the outcomes in terms of enhancing social, economic and environmental diversity, viability and sustainability of our rural communities, we would like to leave the real benefits to be expressed John Lancaster through the words of someone who needed one of these homes. Senior Rural Housing Enabler – June 2008 Case Study 1

South Wonston, La Frenaye Place

South Wonston is a rural parish some 6 miles north of Winchester. The main settlement within the parish is the village of South Wonston with a population of around 2,700 people. Its facilities and amenities include a primary school, a church, a GP practice, a shop and post office, indoor and outdoor sports facilities and a children’s play area.

The Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) fi rst made contact with South Wonston Parish Council in July 2002 and presented the role of the RHE and the process for providing affordable housing for local people at a Parish Council meeting at their invitation. It was agreed that a Housing Needs Survey should be undertaken to investigate the housing need of local people. The RHE completed the survey in January 2003 and presented the report to the Parish Council in April. The survey indicated that 17 households with a strong local connection were in need of affordable housing. Households were encouraged by the RHE and Parish Council to register their need on the Winchester City Council Housing Register. By December 2005, 22 households with a local connection had registered.

In response to the need indicated in the survey, the Parish Council decided to support the development of a small scheme of affordable housing for people with a strong local connection to the parish. They were concerned that people on lower incomes who wish to remain in the parish or return to the parish should be able to do so.

The RHE arranged for two Housing Associations to make presentations to the Parish Council, who then chose one of them, Winchester Housing Group (which later became A2W), to progress the development of the project.

Following this decision the RHE, in close discussion with A2W, the Housing Association and Winchester City Council, undertook a site appraisal of all potential exception sites around South Wonston.

The sites were presented to a Parish Council meeting in April 2004 and all parties agreed on the site on Westhill Road North. A2W commenced negotiations with the landowner and started drawing up proposals for the site.

Once the proposals had started to take shape, A2W with the RHE organised a drop-in to discuss the proposal with residents of the parish. This was an important event that gave local people an opportunity to express support for the scheme as well as objections. Some useful suggestions were made about design and layouts, that A2W were then able to incorporate.

Over the following months, A2W worked on the design of the scheme and applied for funding. The RHE kept in regular contact with them and the Parish Council. The RHE also provided updates for the parish magazine to keep the community informed of progress.

During this period, a small number of people made regular and vociferous objections to the project. The Parish Council, RHE, Housing Association and City Council kept in close contact, and met the objectors to try to both take on board any constructive criticisms and to allay their concerns.

In February 2006, the planning application was considered at the City Council Planning Committee. Objections were made, but it was unanimously approved. 4 / 5

The scheme of 10 affordable homes, 6 rented and 4 shared-ownership started on site in March 2006.

In December 2006, the RHE organised a meeting with a lettings officer of Winchester City Council, the A2W’s housing officer and the Parish Council, in response to concerns voiced by the Parish Council that potential applicants were receiving unclear or conflicting advice about possible nominations to the scheme. The nominations process was clarified.

The scheme was completed in February 2007 and the official opening organised by A2W took place on 10 March 2007, attended by representatives of South Wonston’s twin village in France, La Frenaye. All the new residents have a strong local connection to South Wonston. Above: South Wonston, A2 Housing Group Below: South Wonston, A2 Housing Group The RHE played a critical role throughout the development of the project in South Wonston. In the early stages, a lead role was taken, first in researching the need for affordable housing for local people and then in advising and assisting the Parish Council to establish the project to meet that need.

As the project progressed liaison skills were essential to maintain contact between all the parties, the Parish Council, the Housing Association, the City Council and the wider community.

Delays occurred throughout the project as with most rural affordable housing schemes, but the RHE continued to press the Housing Association and City Council to keep the project progressing.

Debbie Rhodes Case Study 2

Ropley: Sustainable Modern Methods of Construction On An Affordable Rural Housing Scheme – Government Policy Into Practice

Background

During 2006-07 John Lancaster, Senior Rural Housing Enabler at Community Action Hampshire, carried out a research project which looked at the costs of delivering affordable rural housing.

The research, which was funded by Defra through the Hampshire Rural Pathfinder Programme (a government initiative to improve service delivery to rural areas), investigated why rural housing is more expensive to deliver and looked at ways in which costs could be lowered, such as using modern, sustainable methods of construction. (A copy of the report Affordable Rural Housing: Lowering The Costs can be obtained from Community Action Hampshire). The learning, methods, techniques and technology have been applied to the HARAH rural scheme in Ropley, East Hampshire, which is currently under construction. The scheme will be a model and exemplar for best practice on future schemes.

Left (top to bottom) and right: Ropley, Hyde Martlet harrington design 6 / 7 Case Study 2

The Ropley Scheme

The scheme itself has emerged from the fieldwork of the rural housing enabling process: liaison with the Parish Council to establish need and local support, with the planners on an appropriate site and with the housing association and landowner over the site value. The development will meet the need determined by the Housing Needs Survey Report of January 2004.

Builders Drew Smith started on site on 12 September 2007. There will be a total of 12 affordable 1 bedroom flats, 2 and 3 bedroom houses and 2 bedroom bungalows. An open amenity play space is also being provided for the community. Partners on the scheme are East Hampshire District Council, Hyde Housing Association, the Housing Corporation and Ropley Parish Council.

The scheme is being built to Ecohomes Very Good Standard which means low water usage, ecological enhancements, green building materials and very high levels of thermal efficiency.

As it is in a rural area there is no mains gas so the heating is from zoned panel electric heaters. The hot water is heated by solar power with solar panels located on the south facing roofs. Electrical use is further reduced by the use of low energy lighting both internally and externally. In rooms where windows are not practical, sun tubes have been installed to provide natural daylight. Mechanical heat recovery systems are also being provided which means that warm damp air is expelled and warm dry air is taken in.

The houses are of timber frame construction which has been manufactured off site. The walls are made from Kingspan Tek panels which comprise a layer of high performance insulation sandwiched between two layers of board, surrounded by a traditional brick skin. The windows and doors are all double glazed to also improve insulation. The high level of insulation means that fuel costs should be greatly reduced.

Roof tiles are made from concrete with 65% of the materials being recycled. All the timber used in the joinery is Forest Stewardship Council certified which means that it comes from sustainable sources.

Water usage has been reduced by approximately one third by the installation of dual flush toilets and low flow taps. In the future grey water recycling will be used on a HARAH scheme.

To enhance the development in its surroundings, native trees will be planted as well as boundary hedging.

Julie Eden 8 / 9

Above and left: Ropley, Hyde Martlet harrington design Other Schemes

Right: Hurstbourne Tarrant, demolition site Below: Hurstbourne Tarrant, Hyde Martlet HGP Architects 10 / 11

Commentary on Other Schemes

The previous case study of South Wonston shows the enabling process from start to finish and follows the format outlined in A 10-stage guide to developing an affordable housing scheme for local people in a rural community which can be found on the HARAH website (www.harah.org.uk)

The following schemes depicted have all gone through a similar process or most of the stages. But rather than repeat this for each scheme, the following narrative focuses on particular problems and issues encountered in their progress towards planning permission being given or homes being built.

A criticism often levelled at rural schemes is that they always take up greenfield sites or agricultural land. Not so: 33% of the schemes shown in this report are on brownfield or previously developed land. Hurstbourne Tarrant (9 homes) is a good example where 4 of the 9 homes will be built on land cleared after the demolition of two substandard houses. Copythorne (9) on redundant market garden land and Burley (7), a former council estate garage site, are other examples. The latter two are in the New Forest where environmental and landscape constraints are extreme, thus making it more difficult to find sites: the designation of the National Park has heightened the planning constraints in this area.

Top and middle: Copythorne, Western Challenge HA Bottom: Burley, New Forest Villages HA Finding a site involves making two key pieces of the jigsaw fit – a site that the planners think is appropriate and a willing landowner who will sell for exception site values. Because of this, it is no more easy to find sites from large public landowners, who are often bound by best value constraints, than it is from private landowners. In only two cases have we managed to achieve schemes on sites owned by large institutional landowners, at Barton Stacey (8) where the land was acquired from Defence Estates (MOD) and Stockbridge (4) where Hampshire County Council was the landowner.

Left: Barton Stacey, Hyde Martlet HGP Architects 12 / 13

The need to look for sites on the edge of settlements, just outside the settlement boundaries is often necessitated because such boundaries are very tightly drawn. Kingsclere (9) would typify this where the two sites were inside the settlement boundary and involved an intensification of the density of a housing development by utilising underused informal open areas. Using his professional planning expertise, a similar solution was recommended by the Rural Housing Enabler at Froxfi eld (5).

Top: Stockbridge, Hyde Martlet HGP Architects Bottom: Kingsclere, Sentinel HA The Froxfield photograph also shows a visit to the scheme from other Parish Councils, a useful method sometimes used to persuade and influence other communities to address their housing need. But normally any sites within settlement boundaries could not be acquired for affordable housing because owners would hope to get the high open market values which prevail in Hampshire.

Top: Froxfield, Petersfield HA Bottom, right and far right: Wickham, HVHS Above right: Twyford, A2 Housing Group 14 / 15

Where greenfield sites are needed, they are usually selected after appraising a range of options on the edges of a settlement, preferably with good access to a range of services: when the planners have agreed the best option, the landowner is approached. Twyford (6) and Wickham (12) are good examples of schemes emerging from this pre-planning liaison process. About one acre (a third of a hectare) is usually required for schemes for 12-14 homes, the largest scheme developed so far. Landowners can expect to get £8 -10,000 per plot for a rural exception site, a site where development would not otherwise be permitted unless there is a proven need for affordable housing for local people in perpetuity and such a scheme has the support of the Parish Council. Sometimes land may be owned by the Parish Council, as at Broughton (8) where redundant allotment land was available after permission was gained from the Secretary of State.

Keeping the Parish Council informed at all stages is key to the rural housing enabling role. At Sherfi eld English (7) there were eight Parish Council visits and a second, updating housing needs survey was carried out. And at Preston Candover (10) the Parish Council was fastidious in getting public engagement with, and support for, their proposal: there were two public exhibition / consultation events, a public meeting and a secondary housing needs survey. The enabler is the key resource in delivering this, organising and mounting such events, giving ‘independent honest broker’ feedback to inform decisions and by being a resource and helping-hand for the community.

Left top: Broughton, TVRHA/HVHS Left bottom: Sherfield English, TVRHA/HVHS Above, below and below right: Preston Candover, Hyde Martlet HGP Architects 16 / 17

Charter Alley (10) is another scheme where a large amount of time was needed for this continued engagement with the public, not least because this is a joint scheme for two parishes, and , where it was mutually agreed that the former will be allocated seven homes for local parish residents and the latter three for its parish households in housing need. While this approach may be a good strategic solution for smaller parishes which may not have Above and below: Charter Alley, Hyde Martlet enough individual need to justify a scheme, HGP Architects it is also the case that the need for mutual decision-making, joint events, public meetings and responding to opposition takes a lot of time, patience and organisational skills which will all add to the time it takes to deliver the schemes. Opposition, as mentioned previously, is always encountered in delivering schemes and is often based on misinformation, deliberate or misguided, such as housing not being for local people or owner occupiers thinking that ‘council housing’ will bring down the value of their property. Nimbyism is often prefaced with the declaration that ‘we have got nothing against affordable housing in principle but this is the wrong place for it’. The schemes at Wellow (10) and Grateley (6) have both been achieved by a doggedness and bravery from the Parish Councils or officers and politicians in meeting the housing needs of the local community in the face of such opposition from particular vested interests and the supportive role of the Rural Housing Enablers was crucial in these cases. 18 / 19

Convincing people that homes will go to local people requires persistence in spite of housing needs surveys being conducted only of all parish households. The HARAH website (see above) details local connection criteria and some Parish Councils insist on close scrutiny in the drafting of the Section 106 Agreement (the legal obligation that is attached to the planning permission that specifies that the housing is kept for local people in perpetuity): the scheme at Ashford Hill and Headley (10) took a long time to get on site because the Parish Council was adamant that the terms of the Section 106 should meet their particular criteria.

Left top photographs: Wellow, Western Challenge HA Left middle and bottom: Grateley, Hyde Martlet The Genesis Design Studio Right (Top to Bottom): Ashford Hill and Headley, HVHS But the size of the scheme cannot always meet the local need. At South Warnborough (8), a joint scheme for Hyde Housing Association and the Rural Housing Trust, the 8 homes were based on the size of the site available whereas the local need from the survey was for 17 homes. Sometimes a low need revealed by a survey can be supported and enhanced by research from the Housing Register: the homes at Goodworth Clatford (7) owed their existence to the enabler carrying out this work to produce the hard evidence that the Parish Council needed to support the scheme.

Above: South Warnborough, Hyde Martlet and RHT Right: Goodworth Clatford, HVHS

Top Right: Wherwell, Testway HA Far Right: Monxton, Hyde Martlet The Genesis Design Studio 20 / 21

Supporting the Parish Councils where there are design, landscape and environmental concerns is also a crucial role: at Wherwell (7) various layout alterations had to be fought for to preserve ancient lime trees and at Monxton (4) a reptile survey is being undertaken before building work can start. The fact that all rural schemes have to be submitted as full planning applications often means that the enabler plays a key intermediary role between the housing association and their architects to ensure that the Parish Councils are kept fully involved in design and layout changes. Looking at the photographs here, some might say that this results in a somewhat conservative, stereotyped, bland approach or ‘dead hand of the planners and Parish Councils’ in interpreting and adding to the vernacular: a point worthy of discussion at least. Below and top right: Boldre, Hyde Martlet architecture plb 22 / 23

Usually rural schemes take a long time to deliver and it was seen that the Rural Housing Enablers by acting as a catalyst to bring all parties together could speed up the process. Generally, this has been the case but the developments at Boldre (10), Littleton (12) and Swanmore (14) have all taken five years to get to planning permission stage. They epitomise the difficult nature of the job, all having experienced delays, blockages and barriers, whether through planning, landowner difficulties or public opposition, which have all had to be overcome before projects could be advanced. And there have been others where we have carried out abortive work: for example, after a needs survey there was low need or the Parish Council did not want a scheme or the planners did not like any of the sites or we were not able to find a willing landowner.

Left: Littleton, Hyde Martlet The Genesis Design Studio Sometimes enablers work outside the process The professional skills required of the Rural that the South Wonston case study typifies. Housing Enabler team comprise planning, Sometimes the particular skills and knowledge housing and community development required to deliver rural schemes is called experience. Another example of these skills upon. For Eversley (10) the enabler advised the being called upon was at St Mary Bourne local authority on an appropriate exception site (3) where Cricket House, a house willed to land value resulting in a better value for them. Mencap for people with learning disabilities At Stratfi eld Saye (5), after planning refusal, was facing closure and being sold on the a large private estate asked for help to support open market because of funding problems. their proposal for non-grant-funded homes for Contacted by Mencap to see if there was retired estate workers. A Section 106 Agreement anything that could be done, the issue was was devised which allowed the possibility of raised with the local authority and other parties. homes being made available to the wider So the Rural Housing Enabler was key to community. The importance of the estate to the ensuring that the house was converted into local rural economy was also stressed as was 3 rented units of affordable housing for single how the additional housing would contribute people in housing need in the village. to the sustainability of the rural economy. The planning committee were persuaded to give permission against the officers’ recommendation of refusal. 24 / 25

Left and right: Swanmore, Hyde Martlet HGP Architects Below: St Mary Bourne, Cricket House, Advance HA Strategic Work

The role also calls for working at a strategic level, to feed local knowledge and evidence into the regional policy and initiatives.

A few examples include being members of the SEERA Affordable Housing Task Group, working as mentors for the IDeA Affordable Rural Housing Rural Excellence Programme and being on the HARAH Members’ Group. In addition, for two local authorities we have carried out Evaluation Studies of their rural exception schemes to show whether or not they have been successful – have the homes gone to local people, have they helped to support the local shop and post office, have they helped to sustain the social and economic viability of the community? Also, we produced a major research report under the Defra Hampshire Rural Pathfinder programme – Affordable Rural Housing: Lowering The Costs.

And in 2005 we commissioned the making of a DVD from Resource Base (www.resource-base.com) to show the work and role of the Rural Housing Enabler and to highlight the crisis in affordable rural housing. Intended as a resource to be used to inform, influence and persuade Parish Councils in Hampshire, it is now used nationally by Rural Housing Enablers as a tool to help them do their job.

Right: Images from DVD made by Resource Base (www.resource-base.co.uk) Above right: HGP Architects 26 / 27 ...and the future

Problems and the Future

We have shown our contribution to the delivery of over 230 homes: there are a further 100 which are being advanced for submission for planning permission. There is now not a problem with the amount of Government funding available for housing associations through the Housing Corporation to deliver more homes. But, despite major investigations into the rural housing crisis, such as the Government’s Affordable Rural Housing Commission Report (May 2006), we have seen little on the ground that is making a difference to delivering more homes. This report has shown that the enabling process for rural schemes is tortuous and difficult to achieve and we expect this process to remain the same.

Site-finding might be easier if there were a better return for landowners and if the Government’s Planning Policy Statement No3 (PPS3) could be changed to allow for some covenanted low-cost open market housing on rural exception sites. Also, it could be made mandatory for planners to allocate sites for affordable housing and to use Compulsory Purchase powers to acquire such sites if necessary (it seems perverse that there are no qualms about using such powers for, say, highways development but reluctance when it comes to affordable housing). Planners get an unfair press but the local authorities should be more pro-active in delivering on their policies and have a more educated view on what is meant by rural sustainability rather than being reactive: the opposite of enabling is stifling.

Another issue is the unaffordability of shared ownership on rural schemes (for example, a 50% equity stake costing £135,000 on one scheme). Only 10% of the homes shown in this report are for some form of shared ownership: a new, affordable home ownership solution is required for rural areas.

Like other Rural Housing Enablers nationally, we have been employed through a sequence of short term contracts related to the project funding: this creates uncertainty in a field which has long delivery times for its outcomes. We hope that the evidence of this report will reassure funders that the three-year funding package now in place will lead to further delivery of much needed affordable rural homes and that we can continue to deliver the vital enabling work with the rural communities. John Lancaster Senior Rural Housing Enabler Beaconsfield House, Andover Road, Winchester, Hampshire SO22 6AT Tel: 01962 854 971 Email: [email protected] www.action.hants.org.uk

Company No: 3162873 Registered Charity No: 1053806 VAT Reg. No: 568 5238 06 Designed by www.siferdesign.co.uk