Blueprint: Delivering housing for Winchester? Collated by Remarkable Engagement December 2010 Page 1 Contents 1. Introduction 2. Methodology 3. A wider community view – a community survey 4. Estate agents and housing associations 5. Community and charitable groups 6. Employment and commercial 7. Political stakeholders 8. The characters – a future outside of Winchester 9. Conclusion Page 2 1. Introduction “I am a strong localist, for one simple reason. I know that the small, the personal and the local work with the grain of human nature and not against it. But this is not some romantic attachment to the patterns of our past. Localism holds the key to economic, social and political success in the future.” David Cameron, Foreword to Control Shift: Returning Power to Local Communities “Local authorities need to recognise that just because regional targets have gone, the housing need has not.” David Orr, chief executive of National Housing Federation Localism and national planning guidance One of the foremost areas of change since the coalition attained power in May has been the planning system, where regional targets have been earmarked for replacement with a locally driven set of figures, with local authorities to be given the power to set their own levels of house building. As part of this move towards locally driven housing targets and planning, Winchester City Council has launched a public consultation on a local plan set to replace what was the emerging Core Strategy. The resulting exercise, labelled Blueprint, will help inform the development of the Local Development Framework; Community Strategy; Vision for Winchester; and Winchester Town Access Plan. Winchester City Council acknowledges itself the need for responsible positions to be adopted noting: We have more say and more responsibility We can’t hide behind Government targets We can’t pretend we don’t have choices We can’t leave it to ‘bureaucrats’ and moan that we never get a say If it goes wrong – it’s our fault The Blueprint Page 3 Blueprint The Blueprint consultation is being focussed around planning for the future of Winchester District via six characters, designed to act as a representation of the social groups and needs within Winchester District. These characters are: Ben and Sarah Ben and Sarah are a young couple who live in a small house rented from a private landlord. They both have good jobs but have to travel a long distance to work. They are considering starting a family and would like to buy their own home but are worried about what they can afford and where it would be best for them to live. Debbie Debbie is 19, an administrator in a local business. She enjoys going out with her friends at weekends. All of her family live close by but her friends keep moving away and nights at the pub have become quieter. She currently lives with her parents in a property rented from the Council. Her boyfriend is a local tradesman who has good work prospects but will never earn a high income. Debbie and her boyfriend want to live together and are wondering what their next steps would be. Don Don is a company manager for a multi-national making high-tech parts for boats and ships. The job supports him and his family. He moved to the area a few years ago when the company could not find a manager who lived in the area. He knows the business is under pressure from overseas competitors and worries about his job. The company needs: • to recruit well trained workers • have good communication links • find opportunities to promote itself Jing Jing was a student at a local university who stayed in the area after qualifying. She runs a business sourcing promotional material for larger companies. She started her business from home but now she wants to expand and employ two or three people. Pam Pam is recently widowed. She lives in the house in which she brought up her family. But she is concerned that looking after the house and garden will become an expense she'd prefer not to have in a few years time. Pam is considering her options. Page 4 Davis Family Mr and Mrs Davis have three children aged 9, 12, and 15. Mrs Davis commutes to Portsmouth to work and Mr Davis to Basingstoke. They are concerned about the time and expense of their commuting and don't want their journeys to get more difficult as a result of further development. Each of the groups have challenges relating to housing need and the views of the people they have been designed to represent will be reflected within this report using statistical data, personal interviews and discussions with service providers. This report will highlight that there are already increasingly difficult issues relating to housing and the lack of provision to enable Winchester to thrive and grow, from recruitment issues, retention of quality staff to pricing people out of Winchester itself. Page 5 2. Methodology Blueprint seeks feedback on the future of Winchester through six characters. To understand the issues each of these characters face, a selection of interviews and surveys have been undertaken. In compiling this document, primary research in the form of an independently- undertaken straw poll and stakeholder meetings have been used together with secondary research to argue that not only is there a need for housing in Winchester, but that it is a need that is widely recognised. The independent poll of 100 residents was undertaken by Marketing Sciences, a Winchester-based polling agency. The results of the survey are stark: 90% o of people agreed that there is a need for more affordable housing in the City 86% o of people agreed that they knew people who found Winchester too expensive to live in 75% o of people themselves thought Winchester was generally too expensive to live in 67% o of people felt there is a need for more housing in Winchester The full results of the survey are reproduced in the following chapter. Local bodies and organisations have also been consulted to represent the views of business, local public sector organisations and those who live, work and rent affordable homes in Winchester. We have spoken to estate agents to understand the local market and who is being locked out of Winchester, as well as affordable housing providers. Lastly, we sought to engage with those who will be responsible for implementing the localism legislation – the politicians – and spoke to a range of representatives from district councillors to former Members of Parliament. Page 6 3. A wider community view: a community survey As part of this response to Blueprint, we commissioned Marketing Sciences, a Winchester-based research company engaged in both quantitative and qualitative research, to undertake a street poll to gauge attitudes towards housing need in Winchester. Methodology Marketing Sciences conducted 100 street interviews with respondents who either work in Winchester or who live in Winchester or its surrounds. Tourists and those who neither live nor work in Winchester were excluded from the research. The interviews took place between Tuesday 2 and Thursday 4 November 2010. Respondents were asked a number of questions concerning housing need, affordability of housing, provision of local infrastructure and provision of housing for first-time buyers. Sample A range of people were interviewed, ensuring a broad spectrum of age, gender, social class, living status and household type were included in the survey. Of the 100 people interviewed, 34% lived and worked in Winchester; 38% lived in Winchester and worked outside Winchester or did not work; 1% lived within five miles of Winchester and worked in Winchester; 17% lived within five miles of Winchester and worked outside Winchester or did not work; and 10% lived further than five miles away but worked in Winchester. 36% of respondents were male; 64% female. 3% of respondents were under 18; 17% were 18-24; 15% were 25-34; 9% were 35- 44; 27% were 45-64; and 29% were 65 or over. All four social classes were represented in the survey: 31% were AB; 40% were C1; 10% were C2; and 19% were DE. In terms of household make-up, 25% were single occupiers; 34% lived in two-person households; 16% lived in three-person households; 14% lived in four-person households; and 11% lived in households of five or more persons. Further, 39% lived with no children (pre-family); 14% lived with children aged up to nine years; 13% lived with children aged 10 or over; and 34% have children who have left home. With regard to living status, 5% lived with parents; 1% lived rent free; 24% rented from the council; 11% rented from a housing association; 21% rented from someone else; 13% owned their house with a mortgage; and 22% owned their house outright. 3% declined to answer. Page 7 Results Interviewees were shown various statements and asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement, and the degree to which they agreed or disagreed. of people agreed strongly to ‘There is a need 48% for more housing in Winchester’ of people agreed strongly to ‘There is a need 78% for more affordable housing in Winchester for first-time buyers’ of people agreed strongly to ‘Winchester is 79% too expensive to live in’ If broken down into those who lived in and out of Winchester, of those who recognised the need for more affordable housing in Winchester, 82% of those who lived in Winchester agreed strongly with the statement; compared to 68% who lived outside of Winchester. On the question of whether the respondent knew people who found Winchester too expensive to live in, the figure was 79% for both.