Affordable Housing for Beginners!

Affordable Housing for Beginners!

After Rob Kerby’s presentation on the 16 July we have had several requests for a brief guide to ‘affordable housing’ so here goes.

Social housing is affordable housing – accommodation that is affordable to meet the needs of people who do not have sufficient income to pay for open market housing to rent or buy.  It is similar to the old council housing scheme.

Social housing is allocated on the basis of need. Unlike in the private rented sector, where tenancies are offered to whomever the landlord chooses, social housing is distributed according to the local council’s allocation policy. Since the Localism Act 2011, councils can decide who is or isn’t eligible to go on the waiting list for social housing. Waverley Borough Council advise which groups will be given ‘reasonable preference’ in their allocations policy.

Registered providers (often known as social landlords) are the bodies that own and manage social housing. They tend to be non-commercial organisations such as local authorities or housing associations.

Affordable housing comes in many forms, briefly summarised below:

Social rent – is let at low rents on a secure basis to those who are most in ‘’need’. Normally councils and not-for-profit organisations (such as housing associations aka registered providers) are the ones to provide social housing.

Affordable rent – is a recently introduced approach to setting rents for new housing association properties at 80% of average local market rents.

Market rent – some housing associations will develop housing for rent at market levels to subsidise their charitable activities.

Shared ownership – involves buying a proportion of a property and paying rent on the remainder, usually to a housing association. It may be possible to buy additional ‘shares’ until the property is owned outright.

Shared equity – purchasers buy a specified proportion of the value of the home but do not pay rent on the remaining proportion, which is owned by a housing association or developer  who ensures that future sales are restricted to eligible households and that affordability is maintained.

Outright sale – some registered providers will develop housing for outright sale on the open market to subsidise their charitable activities.

Credits – Shelter, Wikipedia

You can find out more about affordable housing in this Guide by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Help Elmbridge Road!  Please sign the Petition!

Help Elmbridge Road!  Please sign the Petition!

Residents and Users of Elmbridge Road, the main arterial road from the A281 into Cranleigh, need more than bush trimming to keep the road safe!

 For too long Elmbridge Road has looked as if nobody cares, to quote a Waverley Borough Councillor.    Despite it being the main arterial road off the A281 into Cranleigh, it has not been adequately maintained to keep up with the growing volume of traffic, both domestic and commercial.

Please Take Action now and sign the Petition before 25 September 2015.    It is available in Cranleigh High Street and other areas too .

Elmbridge-road-petition-sign

Find it in the following places:

  • One Stop (Elmbridge Road
  • Redfords Barbers
  • Cranleigh Pet Supplies
  • Pedal and Spoke
  • 137 Hairdressers
  • Functional Fitness gym (above Rania)
  • Jarrads Taxis
  • Bricks Restaurant (Smithbrook Kilns)
  • Elmbridge Retirement Village (at Reception)
  • Dunsfold Village Shop

Ever since the pavement was put in along the single track road over the Wey and Arun Canal and four way traffic lights vetoed in 2008, nothing more than a few metal signs have been installed to manage traffic safely and effectively.   The Police were never consulted about the pavement prior to its installation.  They have expressed safety concerns about the single track priority road system  saying that it has failing given that it is ‘too difficult for drivers to assess whether it is clear to proceed or not….and that some other form of traffic control is required.’   This view has been consistently expressed by the Police since 2008 but they have not been listened to.

 Spot the road sign below!Elmbridge Road

At the moment, signage does not give drivers sufficient advance warning of the unusually long 120 yard single track.   This has poor visibility particularly for those drivers coming from the A281, due to a blind spot caused by the camber of the canal bridge, the awkward positioning of the pavement and a hazard sign that also obstructs drivers’ views.   In addition, current signage  also fails to give clear unambiguous instructions on who has priority and who has to give way.     Residents also complain about speeds being exceeded particularly from the allotments along Elmbridge Road heading out of Cranleigh.  Residents say they can hear cars speeding up once they reach the canopy of trees that is now so thick it is like a tunnel and it obscures the street lights.

The positive news is that new calming measures are supported formally by the Cranleigh Parish Council. 

 

But more help is needed.  The Help Elmbridge Road campaign has a petition that will be presented to the Local Waverley Committee on 25 September 2015.  The petition asks for new and more effective traffic calming measures for the priority road system in Elmbridge Road to help reduce the level of accidents and casualties, the number of day to day incidents of road rage, bumper to bumper stand off and general confusion over who has right of way.    New traffic calming measures would also make pedestrians, particularly the residents of Elmbridge Retirement Village,  safer when walking along the pavement.  This pavement is all too often used as an escape route by cars and lorries during a stand off.  Highways from Surrey County Council have not replaced the safety bollards.

The Help Elmbridge Road Campaign is receiving lots of comments from petitioners in support of new and more effective traffic calming measures.  Comments typically reflect concerns about the safety of the road.

“Accident waiting to happen”

“Bridge is dangerous causing near accidents often!”

“Too difficult to see on coming traffic in dip.”

“Traffic lights urgently needed”

“Over the years I have seen multiple accidents and daily misuseage of this very busy road.   The current system is not good enough”

“It is a very dangerous road”

“Many near misses”

“The problem has been ongoing for years”

“A continual cause of anxiety, aggro and unnecessary hassle”

“Stop messing around and put lights in before somebody gets killed”

“It’s a lottery trying to get across”

Take Action now and sign the Petition before 25 September 2015.

BERKELEY HOMES APPEAL

BERKELEY HOMES APPEAL

UPDATE: The Appeal date is 2 February 2016 10am in the Waverley Borough Council Offices, The Burys, Godalming. ALL WELCOME.


 

The Berkeley Homes Appeal was registered with the Planning Inspectorate. The appeal starting date is 17th AUGUST 2015. Please submit your objections directly to the Planning Inspectorate

PLEASE NOTE DEADLINE DATE FOR COMMENTS IS 28th SEPTEMBER 2015

If you previously objected to this application then Waverley Borough Council would have formally notified you of the Berkeley Homes (The Maples) Appeal to build 425 houses on Land immediately South of the High Street Between Alfold Road and Knowle Lane Cranleigh.

However you now have the opportunity to make further comments or to submit a NEW objection if you haven’t written before.

You should write direct (please send 3 copies if possible) to:

The Planning Inspectorate
Room 3/26
Temple Quay House
2 The Square
Temple Quay
Bristol
BS1 6PN

by 28th September 2015 – quoting the following Appeal reference details which are:
Planning Inspectorate Reference: APP/R3650/W/15/3129019
Application Reference: WA/2014/0912
Appellant’s name: Berkeley Strategic Land Limited

This is the last chance you have to stop this huge housing estate on Cranleigh’s green fields.

Below is a list of possible points to object to against this planning application (previously published on our website here).

Always include your FULL name and postal address when writing

If you want to raise any of the following comments in your objection please do put them into your own words, as otherwise the Planning Inspector may not take them into account, thank you.

Some Points to Consider

Some of the points you might like to mention are (please do not cut and paste these points as that will make your email invalid ):

  • Premature to the emerging Neighbourhood Plan.
  • It will cause considerable  harm to landscape character.
  • In line with the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) brown fields (previously developed land) should be built on before green fields, in Cranleigh that would include Hewitts Industrial Estate which is deliverable in 5 years and currently has a planning application in.
  • The site suffers from surface water flooding as recently as December 2013, although this was not mentioned in Berkeley Homes’  Flood Risk Assessment. Surrey County Council who is lead flood authority for surface water flood risk has not inspected the site.
  • Cranleigh’s road infrastructure should be a material constraint as it is not suitable for a development of this size.  This would also lead to additional pressure on the surrounding road network, in particular heading North towards Guildford, which is at capacity.
  • Cranleigh’s sewage works need a major upgrade and major investment from Thames Water before a development of this size can be connected to the system.
  • This proposed housing would have a negative impact on the Government’s objective to achieve a better balance between housing demand and supply and to deliver mixed and inclusive communities.
  • The development fails to deliver Waverley Borough Council’s 40% affordable housing requirement.
  • In line with paragraph 50 of the NPPF this development fails to deliver the required housing mix, as outlined in the West Surrey SHMA 2014 and does not meet local demand or need.
  • This location is not sustainable in terms of National Planning Policy.  It does not bring economic and social benefit to Cranleigh as has been recognised by Waverley Borough Council in their own Sustainability Appraisal Part One.
  • There are other sites at less risk of flooding in Cranleigh that should be considered prior to this site.
  • There are insufficient places in our schools to meet the demands from a housing estate of this size.
  • The NHS has raised concerns on this application of the ability of our current medical facilities to cope with a development of this size without significant improvements and investment.

Thank you for speaking up for Cranleigh.