Goudhurst and Kilndown Parish Council

GOUDHURST PARISH COUNCIL
Local Government for Goudhurst and Kilndown

HOUSING COMMITTEE
Minutes of a Meeting held on 17 August 2011 at 9.30 am in the Jessel Room

Present: Cllrs Antony Harris (Chairman), David Boniface and Stephen Wickham.
Mrs Sarah Lewis, TWBC Affordable Housing Officer.

Apologies: Cllrs John Ward.

Declarations of Interest: There were no declarations of interest.

The main purpose of the meeting was to review arrangements for the forthcoming Housing Needs Survey.

Housing Needs Survey
Noted that the Survey Forms have been printed by Action with Communities in Rural Kent (AWCK) and each form is numbered at Council’s suggestion.
The Survey Form was reviewed in some detail and is considered to be better than some previous editions.
There was some inconclusive discussion about the number of 3 bed houses in the Housing Association stock and the availability of downsizing accommodation for older couple living in larger houses. Also the lack of availability of single occupancy units (flats/bedsit) to enable young Goudhurst people to remain in the Parish.
As previously agreed, the letter accompanying the Survey Form will be signed by TWBC.
The Survey to be sent out in the week commencing 05 September 2011.
The Parish Hall has been booked for 19:00 to 21:00 on the 14 September for the public ‘drop-in’ session. Cllrs Harris and Wickham will attend in a hosting role, as will the Clerk. Refreshments will be available. The Clerk will open the Hall at 6.30 pm.
The text for a piece about the Survey, agreed by TWBC, has been submitted to the Editor of the Goudhurst Parish Magazine for inclusion in the September edition.
Tessa O’Sullivan of AWCK has produced some posters to advertise the event; the Clerk to put them up throughout the parish.
Sarah Lewis indicated that Goudhurst’s display boards will not be needed. She can bring some from TWBC if they are required.

Survey Results
It was agreed provisionally that there will be a Housing Committee meeting on 24 November 2011 in the Jessel Room to receive the draft results of the Survey. The Clerk will inform Tessa O’Sullivan at AWCK.

Housing Associations and Availability of Land
There is 1 potential site at Goudhurst and 1 at Kilndown. TWBC understands that one interested Housing Association has some central government funding

Clerk
17 August 2011

Minutes of a Meeting held on 21 July 2011 at 2.30 pm in the Jessel Room

Present: Cllrs Peter Rolington (Chairman), Mrs Barbara Stafford and Stephen Wickham.
Mrs Sarah Lewis, TWBC Affordable Housing Officer and
Ms Tessa O’Sullivan, Rural Housing Enabler AwCiRK.

Apologies: Cllrs John Ward.

Declarations of Interest: There were no declarations of interest.

Report from Affordable Housing Officer TWBC:
English Rural Housing was not successful in their bid for funding for this area, but may well now look for other sources. It is very unlikely that they will be in a position to act in Kilndown.
It was decided to continue with the Survey parish-wide and trust that providers will come forward.
There are no updates on sites in Goudhurst to report.

Housing Needs Survey
Tessa O’Sullivan from AwCiRK will manage the survey.
They usually get a 25 to 30% response rate.
Various changes were proposed to the survey and the covering letter, both of which will be edited and sent back to Goudhurst Parish Council (GPC) for final approval. It was agreed that the letter will be signed by TWBC so that GPC, while supporting the Survey, can remain as neutral as possible.
The Survey to be sent out in the week commencing 5th September 2011.
The Parish Hall has been booked for 19:00 to 21:00 on the 14th September for the launch.
An advert would be needed in the August edition of the Parish Magazine. Clerk to get final approval from Sarah Lewis, noting that Local Needs is the phrase favoured rather than Affordable Housing. Clerk to put up posters throughout the parish.
The evening would take the form of a ‘drop-in’ session; assistance being given to fill in forms and general advice.
SL to arrange for a Housing Needs officer and a Planning officer from TWBC to be on hand.
GPC to supply tea & biscuits (Clerk to arrange - approval for expense needed from GPC).
Display boards to be available (from church?). Tables and chairs to be provided for form filling but no static audience seating.

Cllr Peter Rolington
22.07.11

Minutes of a Meeting held on 09 June 2011 at 0930hrs in the Jessel Room

Present: Cllrs Mrs Stafford (Acting Chairman), John Ward and Stephen Wickham.
Mrs Sarah Lewis, TWBC Affordable Housing Officer (until 10.30hrs) ; Mrs June Heslop and Mrs Jane Rush of Southern Housing Group.

Apologies: Cllrs Peter Rolington (jury service) and Mrs Maureen Russell.

Declarations of Interest: There were no declarations of interest.

Forthcoming Housing Survey - Sarah Lewis said it was time for a new Housing Survey of the whole parish and it was agreed that a Launch should be held in Goudhurst on Wednesday, 14 September, at 7 pm, with details in the September Parish Magazine plus wide publicity. In conjunction with AwCiRK (Action with Communities in Rural Kent), TWBC would post a Survey parish-wide “Looking to Provide Housing for Local People”. Part A would be a general survey of the make-up of all types of existing housing and Part B would be to demonstrate the extent of the need for affordable housing. She asked that it could be accompanied by a letter from the Chairman of Goudhurst Parish Council (GPC). GPC said that we must be given detailed survey results, i.e. which groups are in need and from which part of the parish. GPC was adamant that the returns should carry the responders’ names and addresses to avoid misuse, personation and false information. Mrs Lewis asked if we considered a question should be included concerning the elderly – if they wanted sheltered housing and if they would be willing to move to neighbouring parishes if none were available here. GPC is to consider this.

It was agreed that Mrs. Alison Thompson of English Rural Housing Association who may be interested in Kilndown would not take part in the launch of the survey. When it is known how many and which size of units will be needed a separate event would be held in Kilndown. It was agreed that when the survey results are known, GPC and Sarah Lewis will need to meet with Gary Churchill of the National Trust and agree on criteria for approval to build. The next Housing Committee Meeting to formalise survey plans will invite Tessa O’Sullivan of AwCiRK to take part.

Sale of Culpepers, Goudhurst and Chapel Field, Kilndown - Mrs Heslop said Southern Housing Group, based in Ashford, was rationalising four Boroughs - Wealden, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Sevenoaks, with 110 units in Kent. Southern does not have enough units in our area to be viable. They are looking for an alternative provider, with experience, who would work along TWBC guidelines and be registered with and regulated by the Tenants Services Authority. A stock condition survey had been carried out and all necessary remedial works would continue to be carried out. A letter and faqs were sent to all tenants on 10th March and no concerns had been returned. If not sold, the properties will remain with Southern. The selection process would be held during August/September and the local authority and residents will be informed of the short list and a consultation period, although no consultants would have a veto. It was noted that Southern’s Solicitors had submitted a pre-application question to TWBC Planning regarding the release or variation of Section 106 Agreements. The 106 Agreements stipulate that the units are for local people in perpetuity and there is no mortgage in possession. It is not known if the Solicitors were asking for Southern’s benefit or if they had been queried by a putative purchaser. The informal reply from TWBC Planning reads:

I have checked through the history to both sites and looked at the S106 Planning Legal Agreements. The legal agreements cannot be waived or released as they contain pertinent matters relating to the provision of affordable housing, tenure and nomination process. Applications to vary the respective S106 Legal Agreements would be required and given the nature of the sites, it may be such applications for variation would need to be presented to Committee. The applicants will have to put forward a robust case to allow mortgage in possession.

This does therefore suggest that changes could be made and we shall have to keep a careful watch on events. Mrs Heslop and Mrs Rush will come to a Housing Committee meeting on 21st September to present the short list of purchasers.

Next meetings:
19th or 21st July, 9.30 am at the Jessel Room, with Sarah Lewis and Tessa O’Sullivan.
14th September, 7.00 pm at Goudhurst Parish Hall. Launch of the Housing Survey.
21st September, 9.30 am at the Jessel Room, with Sarah Lewis, June Heslop and Jane Rush.

Cllr Mrs. Barbara Stafford
12 June 2011

Report of a Meeting held on 18th November 2010 at the Parish Hall Goudhurst

Present: Cllr Mrs Barbara Stafford
Cllr Ed Bates
Cllr Peter Rolington
Dawn Healy, Development Manager (Kent), The Hyde Group (THG)
Sarah Lewis, Affordable Housing Officer TWBC

Peter Rolington opened the meeting with a round up of the conflicting advice and reports that the committee had received since the meeting in September 10 and felt that the committee was confused.

Sarah Lewis outlined some of the changes since the last meeting:
Eric Pickles (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government) had indicated that targets for housing growth had been abolished.
The TWBC Planning Department are in the process of reviewing their Core Strategy which would incorporate the new thinking.
The imminent Decentralisation and Localisation Bill - Some of the key changes contained within the bill include:
The abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies.
Local councils having the power to make decisions about housing and planning in their area.
The abolition of the Infrastructure Planning Commission, an independent body that decides applications for nationally significant infrastructure projects. It is to be replaced by a fast-track process for major projects.
The creation of new trusts designed to make it simpler for communities to provide homes for local people.
There is talk of a New Homes Bonus – for every house built; money (£7,000 - £7,500) would be available for the benefit of the community.

Dawn Healy said that there was confusion over definitions of affordable rent in respect of recent government announcements. However she understood that rural housing is seen as a priority.

Housing Needs Survey

It was proposed that any future HNS form should be shorter and accompanied by a letter signed by Action for Communities in Rural Kent (ACRK). Returned forms to give the resident’s name and signature. SL to get back to GPC.

SL to provide GPC with contact details of a useful person from Sissinghurst.

However, given the state of flux of policy and changes it was proposed that any survey should be put off until the New Year (2011) when the situation may become clearer.

Cllr Peter Rolington
29.11.2010

Report of a Meeting held on 2nd September 2010 at The Quarry Centre Kilndown

Present: Cllr Mrs Barbara Stafford
Cllr John Ward
Cllr Peter Rolington
Gary Churchill, Senior Rural Surveyor, The National Trust (NT)
Dawn Healy, Development Manager (Kent), The Hyde Group (THG)
Sarah Lewis, Affordable Housing Officer TWBC

Housing Needs Survey 2010. Sarah Lewis proposed that, as there has been a five year time lapse, there is a need for a new Housing Needs Survey for the whole parish. It appears that the Housing Register is incomplete and any new survey would take into consideration under-occupation and the needs of the older wishing to downsize. She proposed that the full length survey is sent to every household in the parish under the auspices of Action with Communities in Rural Kent (AwCRK). The results of the surveys to show the demand for affordable housing would be public; the identities of the participants are known only TWBC and AwCRK.

It was proposed by SL that the initial survey would go out on 1st November 2010.

Housing Needs – Kilndown. If there was an established need in Kilndown, a statement prepared jointly by GPC and GC, including a voting slip, would be issued via the village newsletter in February 2011. BS requested that this would be loose leaf in the newsletter. JW to liaise with David Denton. There should also be a well-organised joint launch, possibly a public meeting, to back up the statement.

Due to the issues experienced with the last survey in Kilndown, any statement would be transparent and open. DH said it should be stressed that this was Kilndown’s last chance.

Gary Churchill pointed out that from a National Trust perspective they would need to be assured that a good percentage of the residents (say 75%) would need to be in favour of affordable housing in Kilndown. It was noted that the NT does not own any suitable land for these purposes outside of Kilndown in the parish. It was agreed that because of the apathy factor, most surveys would not be completed and to assist a higher return the wording of the survey should be made simpler.

It was agreed that, if the February 2011 vote came back with a positive result that would satisfy the criteria of the NT, then THG would work closely with them to ensure that their designs would be acceptable. The National Trust would have an enduring interest in the development. DH pointed out that the central site in Kilndown (site 10) would be THG’s favoured choice because of its central location and utility access.

It was noted that the site 30 in Kilndown had been the only one in Kilndown to be included in TWBC’s Town Centres Area Action Plan/Villages and site 10 had been excluded – SL to consult with Deborah Dixon in TWBC as to reason.

Affordable Housing – Goudhurst. SL said the promised letter to Mrs. L, owner of a possible site in Goudhurst, would be dispatched by TWBC and a copy sent to GPC for follow up.

Government Policy. An update of presumed changes to the new government policies were outlined, and it appears that rural housing is seen as a priority, but four of our local Borough Councils are working together in order to influence the upcoming government spending review.

Cllr Peter Rolington
02.09.10

Clerk to the Parish Council
Anthony Farnfield MBE
clerk@goudhurst.co.uk