Agenda item

In accordance with Standing Order No. 8, the following question was put by Councillor Read to the Leader

Following the revelation at the recent planning inspectorate that in 2021 Exeter City Council only built 6 affordable homes, will the Leader launch an inquiry into why that figure was so low? And can the Leader let us know how many have been built in 2022 so far, and how many anticipated by the end of 2022?

Response

No, there will not be an inquiry. In its role as local planning authority the Council determines planning applications for housing development and implements the policies in the existing Core Strategy. The relevant policy regarding affordable housing is CP7. This sets out that for sites of three homes or more, developments should provide 35% of the dwellings as affordable housing. This policy is implemented consistently, but can be subject to considerations of viability which can sometimes reduce the number of affordable homes secured. Developments, and therefore affordable homes, are generally built out by the private sector. The number of affordable houses provided in any given year is therefore a direct result of developer activity.

The figure of six affordable homes provided in 2020/2021 was quoted by the applicant at the recent Spruce Close appeal. This is a net figure after taking account of Right to Buy sales which took affordable housing out of the housing stock. This is a process which takes place outside of the planning system. The actual number of affordable homes delivered was 40. This in itself was a lower figure than delivered in previous years, however this is likely to have been significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic which had considerable impacts on the development industry. To illustrate this point, the figures below show the number of affordable homes which have been provided on an annual basis in the previous ten years. Average affordable housing provision across this ten year period was 96. This equates to 23% of all housing completions over that period. The total number provided in 2011/12 were 170 with 40 provided in 2020/21. The full figures are set out below:-

Looking forward, it is challenging to specifically determine how many affordable homes have been/will be built in the remainder of 2022 because affordable housing is primarily brought forward by the private sector and because the monitoring data for the year is not yet available. In addition, in its role as the local planning authority, the Council does not directly deliver homes. However, the positive implementation of policy CP7 in the Core Strategy will continue - as already stated, this requires 35% of homes delivered to be affordable. Looking more widely, the housing team at the Council has an aim of delivering 500 homes over ten years at social and affordable rent to add to our social housing stock.

Councillor Read, asked a supplementary question as to whether it was the Council aim to provide 500 social and affordable housing in the next 10 years, that is, roughly 50 a year.

The Leader confirmed that it was the aim, if possible, to provide 500 affordable and social housing in the next 10 years within the Housing Revenue Account, built to Passivhaus standard. In addition, through Exeter City Living, the City Council’s private development company would bring forward privately rented properties to disrupt that part of the housing market in order to make housing more affordable.

In accordance with Standing Order No. 8, the following question was put by Councillor Rees to the Leader

Following the Leader setting out an ambition for a programme of retrofitting all homes across the city, at our last Council meeting:

a. When will Councillors see a program detailing which houses will be insulated and when?

b. When will the Council be in a position to share this program with the residents of Exeter?”

Response

The Leader responded in respect of the Housing Revenue Account and from the Private Sector Housing point of view:

Housing Revenue Account

In 2020, the Housing Service developed an approach to meet the City Council’s corporate objective to achieve Net Zero by 2030. The Service’s strategy was to develop and deliver a retrofit programme of energy efficiency work to the existing housing stock. This focus was to alleviate fuel costs for those residents who lived in our stock with the worse energy performance.

The retrofit programme has recently completed the installation of energy improvement measures to 420 properties. These works were part funded by the Council through the Housing Revenue Account and part funded by a Government grant of £1.6million. The primary results from the programme of works, have seen;

•             56% of the properties achieve an energy rating of Band A

•             39% of the properties achieve an energy rating of Band B

The Housing Service is continuing the retrofit programme across the remainder of our properties. The performance results from the 420 completed properties continue to be analysed to ensure that the optimum retrofit model and works specification is deployed for future work streams. There is clearly a balance to be struck between maximising the energy performance of properties and the associated energy rating with the affordability of the works programme for all Council properties in the shortest timescale possible.

The Members’ Scrutiny Bulletin on progress to date is currently being prepared for circulation and the revised Housing Asset Management Plan, due to be published early in 2023, will set the future delivery strategy, including programme locations and timescales

Private Sector Housing

There are a few funding streams open at the moment, all of which are detailed on the City Council website. We do not have a rolling programme, we rely on applications from private owners, or our officers referring people who they come into contact with for other reasons. Any Exeter resident meeting the eligibility criteria (generally a household income of less than £30,000 and low Energy Performance Certificate rating) can apply.

The majority of private sector retrofit is undertaken with partners, mainly Exeter Community Energy (https://www.ecoe.org.uk/)

In partnership with Exeter Community Energy, we retrofit around 250 private sector homes per year – this is in addition to any regulatory action taken against private sector landlords.

Details of the funding and how to apply are here:

https://exeter.gov.uk/housing/energy-efficiency/green-homes-grant-local-authority-delivery/

https://exeter.gov.uk/housing/energy-efficiency/energy-efficiency-help-and-advice/

Councillor Rees, made a supplementary comment that it should be the ambition, over time, for all houses to be retrofitted to help eliminate poverty.

The Leader responded that he understood this ambition.

In accordance with Standing Order No. 8, the following question was put by Councillor Sparling to the Leader

Please can the Leader confirm, following the deadline of 14 October 2022 for submitting Expressions of Interest regarding Investment Zones, if the City Council requested to be included within the Devon County Council’s submission? If so, please can the Leader summarise the response here, including any areas or sites proposed for inclusion as well as whether the City Council confirmed in principle to using a new streamlined planning system and also please commit to publishing the full detail of the submission?

The Leader stated that he had requested that the City Point site in the city centre be included in the Devon County Council Expression of Interest (EOI) for an Investment Zone. As site freeholder, the City Council would be able to safeguard the site and ensure developments meet City Council quality standards.

The Leader further explained that he had requested the inclusion of the site in the Devon EOI as it presented a potential opportunity to bring forward its development. City Point would provide a new city centre quarter with a focus on high density urban living, office and employment space including the relocation of the Civic Centre and an information hub delivered by the University of Exeter. It was recognised that development could only be achieved through collaboration with partners such as the University, the County Council and Crown Estates.

As with the St Sidwell’s Point development, any proposal finally agreed would take time to bring forward. He emphasised that it would be one of a number of proposals the County Council would be putting forward with a significant number coming from other areas of the UK. The Leader stated that it had been made clear that the Council would control the governance process and he also assured Members that it was not the intention to accommodate a de-regulation of planning powers and that there was a right to opt out if the conditions were not acceptable.