Maker with Rame Housing Needs Survey

1. Introduction

A local Housing Needs Survey offers a snapshot of the housing situation in the parish at the time of the survey; the outcomes will alter with increasing/decreasing values of housing, changes in the economic climate and the lending policies of banks and building societies, demographic changes in the community, and the changing circumstances of individual households.

Maker with Rame Parish Council conducted a Housing Needs Survey in partnership with Cornwall Council. 750 forms and an explanatory letter were dispatched on 4th April 2013, and the closing date was 17th May 2013. A copy of the survey form and letter are attached as Appendix 1.

It is generally held that local needs surveys remain robust for a period of 3 years and should be updated, if necessary, after 5 years. This document sets out the survey results, and includes additional data from Cornwall Council’s Homechoice register. As well as identifying housing need within the parish the results of the survey will be used in support of the generation of the Maker with Rame Neighbourhood Development Plan by the Parish Council.

2. The objectives of the survey were to:

Establish the need for affordable housing within the parish;
Identify the extent and nature of the affordable housing need;
Establish attitudes towards further residential development;
Identify land that may become available in the future.

3. The methodology used for the research criteria consisted of:

Sending out surveys and explanatory letter to all households of the Parish of Maker with Rame who are on the electoral register;
A freepost return address for the replies;
A standard questionnaire designed to seek information on current and emerging affordable housing need;
A comments section within the questionnaire for residents to expand on their responses.

4. Response Rate

A total of 750 surveys were sent out, of which 125 questionnaires were completed giving a total response rate of 17%.

5. Analysis of Results

In terms of assessing statistical accuracy using a ‘confidence level’ of 95%, there is a ‘margin of error’ (a ‘confidence interval’) of 8. In straightforward terms this means that if (say) 45% of respondents pick the same answer to a particular question, the level of confidence suggests that we can be 95% certain that between 37% (45 minus 8) and 53% (45 plus 8) of all households would have picked that same answer had all households responded to that particular question. The margin for error of 8 is considered to be within acceptable margins, and the data sufficiently robust to gain an outline picture of the current housing and household circumstances, and an understanding of what people might need and can afford.

6. Summary of Findings

Current position within the parish

Of the 125 surveys returned:

83% of properties are main homes
17% are second homes

The remaining questions in Part One of the survey were answered only by those respondents whose main residence is within the parish (104 possible responses).

Question 2 had 104 responses and of those:

65% of homes are houses, 13% are bungalows, 18% are flats, 2% are caravans/mobile homes, 2% are retirement housing and 1% are other types of accommodation.

Question 3 had 104 responses and of those:

56% of homes are owned outright
22% of homes are owned with a mortgage
10% of households rent from the Local Authority
11% of households rent from a private landlord
2% of homes are another sort of tenure

Question 4 had 104 responses and of those:

6% of properties have 1 bedroom
41% of properties have 2 bedrooms
32% have 3 bedrooms
21% have 4 or more bedrooms

Question 5 had 104 responses and of those:

37% of households have 1 person living there
47% of households have 2 people living there
16% of households have 3 or more people living there

Question 10 had 98 responses and from those households:

57% of residents are male
43% of residents are female
0% of residents are aged 0-10
2% of residents are aged 11-20
6% of residents are aged 21-30
2% of residents are aged 31-40
5% of residents are aged 41-50
16% of residents are aged 51-60
37% of residents are aged 61-70
22% of residents are aged 71-80
8% of residents are aged 81-90
3% of residents are aged 91-100

7. Need for Affordable Housing

19 people said that they knew of family members who had moved away due to difficulties in finding an affordable home in the parish and would return if affordable housing was available.
12 people stated that their household wished to move to another house either now or within the next 5 years.

Part Two of the survey, addressing specific needs for affordable housing in the parish, was completed only by respondents who answered yes to either of these questions (24 possible responses).

Part Two

Question 12 – Where does your household live?

17 respondents live as a single household within the parish

Timescale

Question 13 – When does the household need to move?

7 respondents would like to move into an alternative home within the next 2 years
9 respondents need to move within 2 to 5 years

Housing Requirements

Question 14 – Where are you looking to move to?

14 respondents ticked within the Maker with Rame parish
2 respondents ticked outside the parish (but still within Rame Peninsula)
2 respondents ticked outside the parish (and not within Rame Peninsula)

Question 15 – What is the minimum number of bedrooms you require?

5 respondent requires 1 bedroom accommodation
10 respondents require 2 bedroom accommodation
3 respondents require 3 bedroom accommodation

Question 16 – Preference for buying/renting

7 respondents would like to buy their property on the open market.
7 respondents would like to rent from a housing association
2 respondents would like shared ownership (part rent-part buy)
2 respondents to these questions are on the Homechoice
register.

Question 18 – What type of accommodation do you require?

8 respondents require a house
4 respondents require a bungalow
1 respondents require a flat/maisonette
2 respondents require sheltered or retirement accommodation
1 respondent requires a bungalow or flat
1 respondent requires another sort of accommodation

Question 19 – The main reasons given for needing to move were:

Need a cheaper home (6 responses)
Need secure accommodation (4 responses)
Need smaller accommodation (3 responses)

The following reasons were also given:

Need physically adapted accommodation (2 responses)
Need a larger home (1 response)
Need to set up independent accommodation as they were having a baby (1 response)
Need to set up different accommodation (1 response)

Question 20 – Type of household

1 respondent was from a household with dependent children
16 respondents were from other types of households

Local Connections

16 respondents have been permanently resident in the parish for the last 3 years
Of these, 9 residents have also worked in the parish for the last 3 years
12 respondents have been resident in the parish for the last 5 years
14 respondents have family members who have formerly lived in the parish for a continuous period of five years
Of these, 1 respondent had not been resident or worked in the parish for the last three years

Affordability

If you wish to buy a home what total house price can you afford?

3 households can afford house prices of less than £50,000
4 households can afford between £50,000 – £69,999
1 household can afford between £70,000 – £99,999
2 households can afford between £100,000 – £149,999
0 households can afford between £150,000 – £199,999
2 households can afford between £200,000 – 249,999
1 household can afford £250,000 and over

If you wish to rent a home what is the maximum rent you can afford?

3 households can afford less than £50 per week in rent
2 households can afford between £50 – £99 per week in rent
5 households can afford between £100 – £149 per week in rent
2 households can afford between £150 – £199 per week in rent
0 households can afford between £200 – £249 per week in rent

Total monthly take home income

2 households has a monthly take home income of less than £420
6 households have a monthly take home income of between £420 – £834
4 households have a monthly take home income of between £835 – 1249
2 households have a monthly take home income of between £1250 – £1665
1 household has a monthly take home income of between £1666 and £2499
0 households have a monthly take home income of £2500 and above

8. Support for Affordable Housing in the parish

104 people responded to the question about support for Affordable Housing in the parish and of those:

80% (83 respondents) would support a small development of affordable housing for local people within the parish if there were a proven need
14% (15 respondents) said that they might be supportive
6% (6 respondents) would not support this

Statements of support for affordable housing within the parish

Respondents were asked to tick all statements which they agreed with relating to affordable housing:

23 agree that affordable housing should ideally be provided in one compact development;
80 agree that affordable housing should ideally be provided in small sites scattered throughout the parish;
81 respondents agree that affordable housing should be provided to anyone living in, or homeless (but formerly resident) in the parish who can’t afford to rent or buy;
74 agree that affordable housing should be available to people who have lived or worked in the parish for the past 3 years;
57 agree that affordable housing should be available to people who have lived in the parish for 5 years, but may not live there now;
72 agree that affordable housing should not be made available to anyone who has never lived in the parish.

9. Identifying land within the parish

Respondents were asked if they were aware of any sites in the parish that might be suitable for an affordable housing scheme. The following locations were given:

Fields at edge of Kingsand and Cawsand
Field between Coombe Park and Coombe Farm• Old allotments Andy Ditch, Forder
Valley, allotments above St Andrews Church
Many large second homes, e.g. Old Ship Inn
Field above Cawsand car park
Field below Coombe Farm or Orchard behind Coombe Park
Land at White Cottage and Hardtocomeby
Maker Heights
Between Coombe Park and Council Estate
On road to Rame
Heavitree Road
Jackmans Meadow
Orchard Fourlanesend Hill
Land adjacent to Maker camp
Plenty of fields within peninsula
Pete’s Garage, Millbrook
Between Coombe Park and Coombe Park Close

10. Other Housing Needs data

Cornwall Homechoice

In order to identify more local housing needs information the Council has invested in Cornwall Homechoice, a sophisticated housing register system to collect and collate housing needs information by village, parish and town. The register also contains information about local people who may not necessarily be currently resident in the parish. It is important that local people who need affordable housing are registered with Homechoice.

Homechoice data (Non Questionnaire information)

A total of 48 applicants with a local connection to the parish of Maker with Rame have applied to the housing register as of May 2013.

Size of Accommodation
Applicant Type	1Bed	2Bed	3Bed	4Bed+	Total
Band A	1	0	0	0	1
Band B	3	2	0	1	6
Band C	4	1	1	0	6
Band D	2	0	0	0	2
Band E	21	10	2	0	33
Total	31	13	3	1	48

A total of 2 applicants to the Homechoice register have expressed a preference for living in the parish of Maker with Rame.

Size of Accommodation
Applicant Type	1Bed	2Bed	3Bed	4Bed+	Total
Band A	0	0	0	0	0
Band B	0	0	0	0	0
Band C	0	0	0	0	0
Band D	1	0	0	0	1
Band E	0	1	0	0	1
Total	1	1	0	0	2

11. Conclusions and Recommendations

The survey identified up to 9 households in need of affordable housing, and up to 19 others who had moved away but who might return if they had access to affordable housing. This is still less than the 48 qualifying local households who are already registered with Homechoice, indicating that some of those who are already registered with Homechoice did not respond to the survey.

14 survey respondents want to remain in the parish, although only 2 Homechoice applicants expressing that choice. This may be linked to a perception among Homechoice applicants that there might be more opportunities to access affordable housing outside the parish. Taking into account the combined data, there is a need for a number of affordable homes in the parish. The majority of survey respondents indicated a level of support for a small project for the benefit of those with a local connection, and a number of potential site locations were identified.

The main preference was for renting, and the income data suggests that affordable rented homes would seem most appropriate, although a small number of ownership opportunities could meet a need, if the prices were particularly affordable. Reassurance about priority for local people would need to be addressed by making appropriate provision in any section 106 planning obligation, and a detailed Local Lettings Plan covering both tenures.

Next Steps

The Parish Council notes that most respondents would support a small development of affordable properties, and will reflect this in its preparation of a Neighbourhood Plan.

The parish council can refer to Cornwall Council’s Rural Toolkit guidance for identifying opportunities to provide affordable housing, and should refer to this report when assessing any opportunities that landowners might bring forward in the interim..

Housing Needs Survey report – Maker with Rame June 2013_Appendix1