Strategic Planning on Housing Issues of Cheshire East - Case Study Example

Outline I. A. Overview Introduction to affordable housing issues B. Local Government Describing the local Government C. Regional Priorities 1. Explains the priorities of the regional areas D. Cheshire Living 1. Explains the living conditions in Cheshire E. Summary of policies and Organizations 1. List of policies 2. List of organizations II. References Strategic Planning on Housing Issues of Cheshire East The Chair of the Cheshire Housing Alliance, Steve Jennings, has put together a very sophisticated housing plan that can be very useful for many people, as compared to other local and national plans which is designed to be “low risk”. With the ever present need for affordable housing, an investment in this plan can help both socially, and economically (Gallent, 2009). The purpose of this housing plan is to help many poor neighborhoods with a group effort from the entire community. We are aiming to achieve the independence of anyone who desires to have a quality place to live for themselves, and their families. The main key issues of this project are as follows: To simply bring more affordable housing to a wide range of those in need. Making all necessary improvements to the existing area housing. To accommodate all of the people who are most needy. To bring more market housing for the growth of all involved. The focus on the plans is based on strategy and action. A strong overall identity must be developed for the community to be made aware of the main plans. A group effort must be put forth to work with all of the necessary changes that will be happening in the housing markets to meet the community needs. The most deprived areas of the region must be focused on as top priority. Improvement must be kept at a steady pace to benefit the organizations that will be most useful. Shared responsibilities will be learned as a team, and all partnerships must be focused on the goal of helping all those in need. The ‘credit crunch’ has had a considerable impact on the overall development, but mostly just on the regional and national level. Many restrictions have been made with lending, and other sales which has led to developers decreasing their building programs. This has hurt the affordable housing situation, and also had an effect certain Government policies (Whitehead, 2007). The Government policy does understand the need for more affordable housing, but is more focused on home ownership rather than renting. Cheshire is a main part of the regional market, and makes a large contribution to the entire strategy. Cheshire is known for a good living area, but also has another side that is suffering from poverty. Most housing prices in this area are more expensive than regional and national areas which is making it very difficult for the needy people to acquire adequate housing. Many of Cheshire’s locations are in great need of social development to improve the housing, employment, and overall social living situations. With a fast growing number of elderly it is even more challenging to meet the needs of the entire area. A large amount of data including the population, and overall housing needs has been studied to provide the necessary resources for all of the individual groups involved within the growing community. Constant monitoring of the activities around this area must be made to work with all of the changes. The funding levels are still way below the necessary amounts to help everyone who is in need; however, financial support will continue to be looked for, and demanded as more positive changes are made. Overview Cheshire has now designed many new strategies for the Sub-Regional housing, and is intended to help solve many of the current housing problems. It will address all the current problems, and provide security for future developments. It will show the necessity of partnership in this plan, and show the links between local, regional, and national strategies (Bramley, 2005). The Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) have a good, long history of successful partnerships with many regions that cross over certain borders such as the East and West Cheshire boarder. The Cheshire Housing Alliance (CHA) was also formed to bring many stakeholders from similar departments together. The CHA helps these groups to share their information, and to agree on all of the important issues. They will also make everyone aware of the existing problems to improve all of the policies for the help of the entire area. Housing of the right size, and location is now being planned extensively for the areas working together. As the local groups must concentrate on the issues directly around them, they must also work together with the organizations in the surrounding areas to bring large benefits to the entire region. This increase of organization will provide more affordable housing with a much better quality as well to some of the worst areas in the region. The Government has also endorsed some very significant benefits that this strategy will bring to the community (Galient, 1997). To provide the necessary balance for these communities, many other strategies will be designed to meet the needs of health, and qualities of life. Local Government In 2009 the Cheshire two tier system of governance was changed by two unitary authorities (Cheshire West and Cheshire East). These two authorities are now in charge of their areas. This has now improved the partnership, and decision making strategies. The Local Area Agreement (LAA) was created to ensure the partnership, and help with all the public services. Regional Priorities In 2009 a new regional strategy was designed for the North West. It is used as a guide for the future improvements of the achievements that already exist. There are many connections between the Cheshire and regional strategies that are designed to support all levels of the plans. All of the documents are intended to be consolidated to produce a very clear guide for all the regions to go by. There have also been many improvements involving quantity, quality, and an overall social improvement as a result of the new plans (Shostak, 2008). Each section has many different needs to be met. Some areas need more affordable housing, while in other areas the balancing of the communities is a top priority. As the regions continue to work in partnership with each other these needs will continue to develop, and be dealt with according to priority guidelines. Cheshire living In all of the economic services, and financial industries, Cheshire has remained at a very low level compared to the regional and national statistics.The low economic supply of this region has also increased the rate of homelessness, and need for more resources. Many local workers have also lost their jobs because of the lack of suitable employment for them. The annual gross salary in Cheshire is above the national median, but it still does not compensate for the large amount of low income jobs. The high prices of the housing in Cheshire is also another problem that is contributing to many people needing housing, and not being able to afford the cost of living. Many private sector houses are also empty in this area, and need to be fully renovated to create a sustainable living environment. The income ratio in these areas has been pushed higher than the community is able to reach, and needs to be balanced according to the people in the areas. Many of the area villages are also in danger to do high costs of the basic necessities such as transportation, school, and other public services. Issues such as mental disabilities also require a certain amount of attention in dealing with the matter of a reasonable standard of living. The Housing Need Studies (HNS), Housing Market Assessment (HMS), and Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) are a some of the statistics that have been gathered to show the need of affordable housing in all of the regions involved. They also show how some rural areas have even lower income levels, and a large need for housing (Paris, 2007). The balance between the rented homes and the homes that are privately owned must be maintained in a way to provide available access to anyone who needs them. Most of England’s affordable housing is social housing regulated by local authorities or RSL. Even though the new plans are already making a great deal of progress in this area, partnership must continue to be established for the priorities to be met completely. As new ways are found, and new agreements reached between all of the organizations involved many new development will continue to be recognized throughout all of the regions. Summary of policies and organizations Policies Seek more funding, and better ways to develop affordable housing; Establish affordable rural housing; Make use of housing that already exists; Make use of public land, and buildings; Achieve a more balanced housing market; Use surveys and assessments across the region; Make more homes in social housing areas; Achieve DHS for RSL homes; Established teams and partnerships to reach an understanding; Comply with Houses in Multiple Occupation; Make sure private rented and owner occupied properties are acceptable; Create more houses in Cheshire that use energy efficiently; Ensure the maintenance of the homes; Refine schemes for private landlords; Maximize the housing supply; Make private sector homes available; Reuse land for housing development; Trusted Organizations RSLs; Unitary Authority; CHA; and all Supporting People References Bramley, Glen;Karley, Noah Kofi, ‘How Much Extra Affordable Housing Is Needed In England?’, Housing Studies, September 2005, Volume 20, Issue 5 Galient, Nick, ‘Planning for affordable Rural Housing in England and Wales’, Housing Studies, January 1997, Volume 12, Issue 1 Gallent, Nick, ‘Affordable Housing in Village England: Towards a More Systematic Approach’, Planning Practice and Research, May 2009, Volume 24, Issue 2 Paris, Chris, ‘International Perspectives on Planning and Affordable Housing’, Housing Studies, January2007, Volume 22, Issue 1 Shostak, Lee;Honghton, John, ‘The Credit Crunch and the Housing Shortage – Time fora Radical New Approach to Building Affordable homes’, Local Economy, August 2008, Volume 28, Issue 3 Whitehead, Christine M. E., ‘Planning Policies and Affordable Housing: England as a Successful Case Study?’, Housing Studies, January 2007, Volume 22, Issue 1 Read More