County Durham Housing Strategy July 2019 1 Contents Page Title Page no Title Page no Foreword 2 Outcome: Deliver high quality new homes that meet the needs and aspirations of 21 existing and future residents in County Durham Introducing the County Durham Housing Strategy 3 Outcome: Prevention of homelessness in County Durham 22 Key messages 4 Case Study: Delivery in action - Housing and support for rough sleepers 23 The Housing Strategy Partnership Framework 5 Case Study: Delivery in Action - Housing for single females at risk of homelessness 24 Outcome: Raise Quality Standards in the Private Rented Sector 6 Outcome: Improve energy efficiency of properties to ensure County Durham has a 25 Outcome: Develop an approach to selective licencing in County Durham 7 stock of warm, healthy and energy efficient homes Outcome: Provide housing products specifically to meet the needs of older persons 8 Case study: Delivery in action: Housing regeneration and energy efficiency- Craghead 26 Stanley Case study: Delivery in action - Housing for older people 9 Case study: Delivery in action: The Warm Homes Campaign 27 Case study: Delivery in action - Housing for older people 10 Case study: Delivery in action: The Managing Money Better Initiative 28 Outcome: Provide care and support for older and vulnerable people including 11 adaptations to properties Outcome: Addressing poverty, in a housing context, and the impacts of welfare reform 29 in a housing context Outcome: Provide care and support to meet the needs of people with disabilities 12 Outcome: Ensure Durham Key Options is easy to use 30 Outcome: Support and maintain mixed and balanced communities across County 13 Durham Outcome: Increase housing offers and options available in County Durham 31 Case study: Delivery in action - Housing renewal and estate regeneration Wheatley Hill 14 Cross cutting theme: Introduction to cross cutting themes 32 Case study: Delivery in action: Housing Regeneration – Group Repair Wembley 15 Cross cutting themes: Housing and Health 33 Case study: Making Every Contact Count (MECC); Home Environment Assessment Tool 34 Outcome: Address empty homes to support communities 16 (HEAT) Case study: Delivery in action: Housing Regeneration, South Moor 17 Cross cutting themes: Rural context 35 Outcome: Delivery of high quality affordable homes to meet housing needs in County 18 Action Plan 36 Durham Outcome: Meeting the housing needs of our residents across County Durham 19 Durham County Council contacts 41 Outcome: Delivery of infrastructure alongside housing development to support 20 communities 2 Introduction County Durham Housing Strategy Foreword Since becoming Portfolio Holder for Strategic Housing and Assets, I have met with residents, landlords, tenants, housing providers and developers to understand the issues faced by our communities. Whilst there are lots of great examples of innovation, best practice and communities investing in their areas, the task ahead of us is a difficult one. Reduced government funding; an increase in poor quality housing stock, particularly in the private rented sector; changes to benefits, increasing homelessness and a growing elderly population to name some of the key issues we need to consider. This is why we need a strong Housing Strategy, one which identifies not just the problems but the solutions and which makes the most of our partnership working to really make a difference. This Housing Strategy has been developed to consider those issues and to set out the council’s approach to delivering positive outcomes for our residents. Importantly, the Housing Strategy has been developed to be able to respond positively to future issues and opportunities as they arise and to ensure we maximise every opportunity to deliver interventions to support our communities. The Housing Strategy sets out clear priorities for County Durham. This includes, improving standards in the private rented sector with Cabinet having agreed for work to be undertaken with the intention of submitting an application to government for a county wide selective licensing designation. In addition, priorities include providing suitable homes for the older people within our communities and delivering affordable housing to meet the needs of our residents. The Housing Strategy needs to be flexible to ensure that it can adapted to new opportunities and also be the catalyst for change. The Strategy contains an action plan which will be delivered jointly with our partners across County Durham. Cllr Kevin Shaw Portfolio Holder for Strategic Housing and Assets 3 Introduction Introducing the County Durham Housing Strategy Introducing the Housing Strategy County Durham housing market data overview The Housing Strategy sets delivery priorities for County Durham Dwelling stock The County Durham Housing Strategy has been developed to consider housing issues in the County and • Across County Durham there are a total of 239,685 dwellings and a total of 226,322 households. to provide a strategic framework to inform actions and investment to result in positive outcomes for • 79.4% of properties are houses, 15.0% are bungalows, 5.0% are flats/maisonettes, and 0.4% are housing related themes in the County. The Housing Strategy covers both the ‘people’ and ‘place’ other property types (e.g. caravans); elements of housing policy and practice in order to provide a comprehensive approach to housing • 6.0% have one bedroom/bedsit, 35.2% have two bedrooms, 43.8% have three bedrooms and 15.0 % issues and to support a coordinated delivery approach for housing related actions. In this context the have four or more bedrooms; Strategy considers issues associated with future housing needs, the existing stock in the County and • 18.2% of properties were built before 1919, a further 16.2% were built between 1919 and 1944, support for people to keep them in their homes and to provide access to suitable accommodation. 21.4% between 1945 and 1964, 22.7% between 1965 and 1984, 15.1% between 1985 and 2004 and 6.3% have been built since 2005; and The Housing Strategy Key Messages • 65.86% of properties are owner-occupied, 20.20% are affordable and 13.94% are private rented. The Strategy contains a series of ‘key messages’ which serve to articulate the council’s and its partners Housing market context housing delivery priorities and approach to housing issues. First and foremost, the Housing Strategy seeks to put people first and to focus on the housing needs of the residents of County Durham. It is this • Median prices in County Durham have been consistently slightly lower than median prices for the principle which guides the content of the Strategy. North East, which are well below those for England as a whole. • Overall, prices have increased from £47,500 in 2000 to £100,000 in 2015, an increase of 111%. A Strategy for County Durham • Prices peaked at £107,000 in 2007 but have since fluctuated and fallen slightly. The Housing Strategy is a strategy for County Durham. In this context, it will be delivered in • During 2015, median prices across County Durham were £100,000 and lower quartile prices were partnership, both through the formal Housing Forum and the Development and Support partnership £62,000. groups as reflected on the Housing Strategy Partnership Framework, but also in discussion with County • The map sets out median house Durham residents, the private sector and other agencies as appropriate. prices by ward – there is a significant variation in house prices A responsive Strategy across the County (Land Registry House Price Data Jan – Dec 15) In response to changing market and policy conditions, the council needs to have a Housing Strategy that is responsive and maintains an element of flexibility in order to respond positively to opportunities and promptly to housing market issues or changes in national policy. For this reason, the Housing Strategy Framework is designed to be able to be supplemented or amended as necessary. All future sections will be considered by relevant partnership groups and in discussion with key stakeholders. A delivery focused Strategy The Housing Strategy is supplemented by a strategic action plan, which reflect the Partnership Framework. This will be subject to review annually. Throughout the Strategy, the strategic approach to addressing issues and delivering outcomes is set out within an orange framed text box for ease of review and to provide a clear understanding of the direction of the Housing Strategy. 4 Introduction County Durham Housing Strategy Key Messages The following key messages set out the priorities of the County Durham Housing Strategy: The Housing Strategy is a strategy for housing across County Durham - first and foremost it is a Strategy that puts people first. The council will continue to focus on raising standards in the private rented sector and will seek greater licencing powers in order to tackle poor landlords, as well continuing engagement with landlords and extending the Accredited Landlord Scheme for responsible landlords. The Housing Strategy will deliver homes for our communities, and specifically plan to meet the needs of our older people and to support people to live independently for as long as possible: A minimum of 10% of homes specifically designed to meet the needs of older people as part of all future development sites; and Specialist care facilities to be provided in partnership with care providers to meet the identified needs of our older people. The council will work within those communities most effected by long