Agenda item

(a) That the Committee support the content of the draft Flintshire Housing Need

Prospectus; and

(b) That the Committee note the Local Housing Strategy 2019-24 was due for

review next year.

The Strategic Housing & Programme Delivery Manager introduced the updated draft Housing Needs Prospectus. 

The Welsh Government (WG) required that each Local Authority develop a Housing Needs Prospectus to be updated on an annual basis.  The format and contact of the prospectus had not changed significantly to alter the director of travel set out in last year’s prospectus.  The changes identified in the report reflected the increasing demand for social housing from the housing register and homelessness duties, including significant demand for temporary accommodation, which was impacting on the homeless prevention team and the Council’s revenue budget.

The Strategic Housing & Programme Delivery Manager advised that the prospectus would be used by WG to approve the Programme Delivery/Development Plan and to ensure that schemes were meeting the identified need and properties, including progress towards meeting the priorities set out in the Local Housing Strategy 2019-24.

The Chair referred to the Canton Depot site at Bagillt and asked whether the proposed development on this site would take place.  The Strategic Housing & Programme Delivery Manager advised that Natural Resources Wales (NRW) had produced a redesignation of flood mapping a number of year ago which gave the site a designation where it would not be possible to develop.  The formal implementation of the flood mapping had been pushed back, therefore in the meantime, the Council had engaged consultants to carry out feasibility work to provide evidence to NRW that the designation was incorrect and that it was technically possible to overcome the flooding issues on the site.  Work continued on assessing whether technically the issues could be overcome in order to bring an application forward.

In response to a further question from the Chair around the cost for the use of consultants, the Strategic Housing & Programme Delivery Manager advised that the proposal was staggered in a stepped approach so that if they demonstrated that it was not technically possible to proceed with developing the site at Canton Depot or that it would be too costly, then the Council could stop engaging with the consultants before going further. 

Councillor Linda Thew referred to the Transitional Accommodation Capital Programme (TACP) being re-opened and the WG inviting application for funding.  She asked how much the Council had applied for.  The Strategic Housing & Programme Delivery Manager advised that the Council had bid in excess of £2m to bring back empty voids across the County and in excess of £3m to acquire empty dwellings or to acquire homes where a landlord had sitting tenants who the Council would have a duty to house, but they could remain in the property.  In total the Council had bid just under £10m funding from the TACP programme, but the indicative allocation was £1.6m.  The priority was bringing back the void properties and the acquisition of ex right to buy properties.  Further information on the final allocation would be available from 30 September 2023.

Councillor Pam Banks asked if ex right to buy properties were purchased at market rate.  The Strategic Housing & Programme Delivery Manager advised that properties had to be independently valued in order to access the grant from WG, and within that valuation, the condition of the property was taken into account.  

The recommendations, as outlined within the report, were moved by Councillor Geoff Collett and seconded by Councillor Pam Banks.

RESOLVED:

(a)          That the Committee support the content of the draft Flintshire Housing Need

Prospectus; and

(b)       That the Committee note the Local Housing Strategy 2019-24 was due for

review next year.