-Affordable housing

Affordable housing is for people who are unable to rent or buy on the open market. This includes social rented housing, new build Homebuy, shared ownership and other forms of sub-market affordable housing e.g sub-market rented or shared equity.

Hambleton District Council transferred all of its housing stock to Broadacres Housing Association in 1993, however one the Council's corporate priorities is to increase the delivery of affordable homes across the district, both in the market towns and in the rural areas of the district.

Hambleton District Council is the lead employer of the North Yorkshire Rural Housing Enablers, who work across the seven district councils. Each district council has a Rural Housing Enabler based within their organisation whose main aim is to deliver affordable housing across North Yorkshire.

Affordable Rural Housing
Housing for local people in rural areas

Local homes for local people
- Promoting the value of affordable housing
- Identifying the housing need of local people
- Working in Partnership to deliver solutions
- Securing sustainable rural communities

High house prices in many rural areas are causing problems for local people on low and average incomes. In some places prices are so high that they can be afforded only by people commuting to nearby towns and cities. Communities are turned into dormitory villages and the social and economic mix of the area is becoming unbalanced. These concerns are widespread across the country and affecting many parts of rural Yorkshire.

Is this happening in your community?

Do young people have to leave the area in order to find accommodation they can afford?

Are local facilities such as schools and shops under threat because there are fewer young families in the area?

Are you worried about the future of your village as a thriving, supportive community where people can continue to live and work?

Hambleton's Rural Housing Enabler, is actively trying to address these problems by increasing the provision and choice of affordable homes for local people in the rural areas of the Hambleton district.

Their aim is to help to identify and raise awareness of local housing needs and provides advice and support to rural communities, landowners and Parish Councils on affordable housing. Make visits to Parish Councils, landowners and other interested parties can be arranged to talk about the part they can play in helping local people access affordable rural housing.

What is affordable housing?

Affordable housing is housing that is affordable to those who cannot afford what is readily available on the open market. A house is not affordable if it takes more than 30% of gross income or if the mortgage needed is more than 2.9 times joint income or 3.5 times single income.

The Government's definition of affordable housing is:

'Affordable housing includes social rented and intermediate housing, provided to specified eligible households whose needs are not met by the market.'

Affordable housing should:
Meet the needs of eligible households including availability at a cost low enough for them to afford, determined with regard to local incomes and local house prices.
Include provision for the home to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households or, if these restrictions are lifted, for the subsidy to be recycled for alternative affordable housing provision.
Is there a need for affordable housing?

There is a need for affordable housing across all areas of the District.

This is shown by the Hambleton District District 2004 Housing Needs Assessment, which identifies the number of households who are in unsuitable housing and who need to move to solve their housing problems but who cannot afford to rent or buy even at the lowest market prices.

TENURE TYPES
Social rented housing is:

'Rented housing owned and managed by registered social landlords' or housing associations.

Intermediate affordable housing is:

'Housing at prices and rents above those of social rent, but below market price or rents, and which meet the criteria set out above. These can include shared equity products e.g. HomeBuy, other low cost homes for sale and intermediate rent.'

These definitions are from the Government's Planning Policy Statement 3.

Escalating house prices and high private rents have meant that there is a huge demand for affordable housing.

Hambleton District Council works with partners Registered Social Landlords:
Accent Housing Group Opens in a new window

Broadacres Housing Association Opens in a new window

Chevin Housing Association Opens in a new window

Endeavour Housing Association Opens in a new window

Home Housing Association Opens in a new window

to run initiatives, which provide low cost homes for rent and sale, to help people who are unable to afford to rent or buy a home on the open market.

How is affordable housing delivered?
Due to the attractive and sensitive environment of the District of Hambleton, land for new homes, especially in rural areas is very difficult to find. These are the main ways in which the Council obtains affordable housing:

'Quota' sites
These sites are above a certain size or number, within the development limits or built up area of the village, and include market housing.
Exception sites
These are sites abutting the village development limits of the village and are for 100% affordable housing for people with a local connection to the area. We prefer to use the term "housing for local people" when describing exception sites, rather than affordable housing, as this is a more accurate description.
100% affordable housing sites
These sites are within the built up area of the village and for 100% affordable housing. This includes Registered Social Landlord for a fixed period of time to be used for affordable housing.
Search for Land Continues

Are you a landowner with land that may be suitable to provide affordable housing for local people in your parish, if so please contact Amanda Madden who will be pleased to undertake a site visit and speak to you. She can be contacted on 01609 767048 or Amanda.madden@hambleton.gov.uk

Did you know that, in Hambleton ........
- We are working with many parishes to undertake or complete housing need surveys
- We have recently completed 42 new affordable homes at Chopgate, Shipton by Benningbrough, Tollerton, Newton on Ouse and Dalton

- Due to Start on Site in Swainby, developing 6 local homes for local people by 31 March 2011.
- Due to start on site on 9 November 2009 at Newton on Ouse
- In 2007/08 we helped provide 10 homes at Stillington, 5 at Battersby Junction and 6 at Great Ayton.
- We continue to search for suitable land to develop affordable houses. It can be within the village development limits but could be abutting the development limits and be considered as a Rural Exception Site.
- We can arrange affordable housing tours for individual or groups of Parish Councils. This will enable those interested to see first hand how a scheme is developed and the high quality results achieved.


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