London Borough of

Redbridge

Affordable Housing
Strategy

2008 – 2011
Introduction:

Across the whole of London there is a need for more affordable housing.

In East London the challenges of the Olympics in 2012; the development of the Thames Gateway and
the potential for the M11/Stansted/Peterborough corridor will place increasing pressure on the supply
of housing to existing residents in both the public and private sector.

The Council commissioned a Housing Needs & Requirements Study in 2005 which reported its
findings in January 2006. Opinion Research Services, a spin off company of the University of Wales,
Swansea, undertook the study.

The Council’s Adult Social Services and Housing Scrutiny Committee established a cross party Working
Group of its Members to examine in depth the need for additional affordable housing in Redbridge. Its
report and the findings of the Housing Needs & Requirements Study form the basis for this revised
strategy.

Since the adoption of the previous Affordable Housing Strategy the Council has achieved the delivery
of a little over 1,200 additional homes. This falls some way short of the housing need in the Borough,
particularly in respect to the government’s requirement for a significant reduction in the use of
temporary accommodation for homeless households.

This strategy provides a renewed focus for the delivery of affordable housing in Redbridge and is
presented in four parts:

1. Setting the Scene;

Placing the need for affordable housing in the context of a high private sector market with a
growing population.

2. Achievements since 2003/4;

Demonstrating the achievements in the delivery of affordable housing across a range of
housing options and support needs.

3. An Analysis of Need and Supply;

An assessment of the pressure points in the need for additional affordable housing in the
Borough with an emphasis on larger family homes.

4. Strategic Actions Required to Meet Housing Need.

The strategy to create additional affordable housing that is accessible and helps to meet the
needs of the Borough’s residents.

2
Part 1: Setting the Scene:

Introduction to Redbridge

Redbridge is an outer London Borough situated within the Thames Gateway region of North
East London. According to 2001 Census Redbridge has a population of 238,635 people with
94,200 households. The number of households grew to 97,766 by 1st April 2007 and it is
anticipated that Redbridge’s total population will increase at a steady rate, and will have
reached 266,000 by 2017. 1

Since the 1991 census, the percentages of people stating their ethnic background as White
decreased from 78.5% to 63.5%, making Redbridge the 9th most diverse borough in the
country. The wards with the highest ethnic population are Clementswood (28.5% ‘White’) and
Loxford (29.2% ‘White’). On the other hand Monkhams (89.1% ‘White’) and Hainault (88.6%
‘white’) have the lowest ethnic population in the borough. 2

Redbridge is an area of contrast where affluence and deprivation live side by side. South of the
borough is most deprived in Redbridge with the most health care needs 3 .

Redbridge is almost identical to the national figures 4 for peoples self report of their own
health, with the majority (Redbridge 69.8%, England 68.6%) rating their health as 'Good'.

Redbridge has relatively high employment rates, with 71.7% of residents in employment in
2003, compared to 69.3% in London. 5 However, up 75% of tenants in affordable housing and
close to 100% of residents of temporary accommodation are claiming housing benefit to
support their housing costs.

According to 2001 Census a greater proportion of the population in Redbridge is qualified to

degree level or higher (23.8%) than in England and Wales (19.8%).

The household population for Redbridge consists mainly of married or cohabiting couples with
dependent children (33%). The elderly account for 21% of the household population. A
significant proportion of Redbridge households (61%) have no children. 6

Affordable Housing in Redbridge

Redbridge has the highest level of private sector housing in London with 90% of the total stock
of housing. Affordable housing in the Borough represents only 10% of the total.

As a result of this high level private sector stock there is an active market of 15% of the stock
being used for private renting. The Council itself leasing temporary accommodation from this
market to provide homes for families that would otherwise be homeless.

1
Office for National Statistics
2
2001 census of Population and Housing, Office for National Statistics
3
Redbridge Primary Care Trust Public Health report 2004-2005
4
Census 2001
5
ONS Mid-year Population Estimates: 2001,2002 (revised) 2003 Greater London Authority, September 2004
6
Census 2001

3
Table 1.
Total Housing Stock in Redbridge as at 31st March 2008

Housing in Redbridge Numbers

Council Owned Homes 4,695
Housing Association Homes 5,471
Other Publicly Owned 123
Private Sector 88,142
Total 98,431

Source: HIP/HSSA A1&A7 31st March 2008.

Local Housing Issues

The Council owns 4,695 properties. This is a very limited stock compared to other
neighbouring Boroughs (there are around 20,000 council rented properties in Barking &
Dagenham).

One of the major challenges for the Housing Service is to provide permanent housing for both
homeless households to whom it accepts a duty and those on the Choice Based Lettings List.
The number of properties owned by the Council stock is gradually decreasing mainly due to
tenants buying council properties under the Right to Buy scheme. Whilst the number of homes
being developed through the Council’s preferred partner housing associations is increasing
the rate of growth remains far slower than the increasing demand. As a result of these factors
the demand for social housing outstrips supply. As at 31st March 2008 there were 2,739
households that have been placed in temporary accommodation.

The Housing Service ensures that homeless households are placed in properties that are of
reasonable standard. The Council no longer places homeless households in Bed & Breakfast
(B&B) except in emergencies. Households stay in B&B less than six weeks.

Accessing Housing in Redbridge

The Redbridge Housing Needs & Requirements Study indicates the projected need for
affordable housing for the next 5 years. This projection needs to be set in context with the
current position.

There are some 12,823 people/households registered on the Council’s Choice Based Letting list
for affordable housing. These figures are summarised in Table 2 below. Ongoing pressure from
existing homeless households and new homeless applications mean that prioritisation for the
provision of family size accommodation will be required.

It should be noted that there have been 484 accepted applications from homeless people in
priority need for the period including 1st April 2007 to 31st March 2008.

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Table 2.
Choice Based Waiting List

Bedroom Total on CBL Of which New Of which

Requirement Applicants in Transfer
2007/8 Applicants
Studio 4,174 484 102
1 Bedrooms 1,656 261 200
2 Bedrooms 4,222 580 254
3 Bedrooms 2,214 280 187
4 Bedrooms 480 51 38
5+ Bedrooms 77 7 5
Totals 12,823 1,668 786

The Redbridge Housing Needs & Requirements Study indicates that there will be a surplus of
private sector housing in the Borough over the projected 5 year period. However, first time
buyers are being priced out of the market. This is a particular issue where new developments
are taking place.

Prices for what would be considered entry level properties for first time buyers on the open
market are, at the lowest end, £124,800 for a one bedroom home and as high as £148,300 as an
average.

Where a similar property is in a new build development the lowest price for a one bedroom flat
in a town centre location is £174,995 rising to £259,995 for a two bedroom flat. There will often
be an additional cost related to service and leasehold charges in addition to rental payment
relating to the equity not purchased.

When these values are translated into a shared ownership model it is clear that accessing these
properties for a resident on an average salary/wage of c£31,406* is unaffordable.

*Source: ONS Full Time Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2007

Table 3.
Property Prices

Property Average Lowest

Size Price Quartile
Price
Purchase Price
1 bedroom £148,300 £124,800
2 bedrooms £189,500 £153,500
3 bedrooms £256,100 £214,300
4 bedrooms £340,500 £254,200
5+ bedrooms £422,500 £318,200

Source: Redbridge Housing Needs & Requirements Study 2006

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The rented sector shows a wide range of rental costs. The differential between the affordable
housing market; private sector and private sector leasing is significant. Average costs for a
private sector rented family home equate to a mortgage of £150,000 repayable over a 25 year
period.

The potential for family and single households to fall into the poverty trap is a cause for
concern. With an average salary/wage of £31,406 take home pay will be in the region of
£450.00 per week. Affordability models suggest that housing costs should represent 30% of
household income. The values for private sector rent, outright purchase or even shared
ownership in Redbridge are outside the affordability threshold.

Table 4.
Rental Costs

Property Social Rent Private Rent Average

Size Rent
Current Average Target Lowest Average Charged
Quartile for PSL
LA RSL
1 bedroom £64.53 £64.42 £65.61 £125.00 £133.18 £231.50
2 bedrooms £73.21 £75.03 £74.35 £162.54 £173.68 £271.50
3 bedrooms £80.07 £90.10 £85.94 £196.00 £210.36 £296.50
4+ bedrooms £89.49 £96.97 £94.02 £250.00 £273.32 £336.50

Source: Redbridge Housing Needs & Requirements Study 2006

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Part 2: Achievements since 2003/4

The Council has a preferred partnership with nine housing associations to enable the delivery
of additional affordable housing in the Borough.

The previous Affordable Housing Strategy (2003 – 2007) was a sub-strategy to the Council’s
Housing Strategy which achieved “Fit for Purpose” through the Government Office for London
assessment criteria.

There have been some notable successes in this period.

• The Council through its partnership with Swan Housing Association and “Keyring” has
developed two schemes that promotes independent living for up to 20 people with a
learning disability.

• Working with Family Housing Association and a local church a scheme that will provide
14 homes for people with mental health problems is currently being built.

• Completed as part of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy a scheme providing 8 homes

with support at the Redbridge Foyer.

• A shared ownership scheme providing 34 homes for older people has been completed
in partnership with Anchor Trust on the site of Barnardos Village in Barkingside.

• The Council has secured substantial funding from the Housing Corporation to convert
177 homes from temporary to permanent affordable housing.

• Using capital resources from the sale of underused garage and miscellaneous sites
funded the provision of 152 permanent affordable homes for the people of Redbridge.

The Housing Strategy had a target to deliver 200 new homes each year. This target has been
surpassed in each of the years since that strategy was adopted the homes being delivered
primarily through the preferred housing association partnership.

Table 5.
Affordable Housing Nominations

Category Number of Units Totals

2003-4 2004-5 2005-6 2006-7 2007-8
Affordable Rent 55 91 98 41 82 367
Shared Ownership 0 34 16 123 36 209
Key Worker 53 0 150 19 0 222
Supported Housing 0 18 10 0 0 28
Purchase & Repair 46 82 49 122 104 403
(Temporary to Permanent Affordable Rent)
Totals 154 225 323 305 222 1,229

The Empty Properties Strategy has also contributed over 600 private sector homes to the
overall delivery many of which the Council has nomination rights to. These properties are used
to support the Homelessness strategy in providing temporary accommodation.

In terms of increasing the supply of family size homes the Council has adopted through its
planning policy the “Supplementary Planning Guidance for Affordable Housing” in September
2004.

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This guidance provides developers with clear direction for the delivery of affordable housing
that will be required through a planning approval. Where such schemes do not provide homes
that meet the known need for family size accommodation the Council will now seek a cash
payment in lieu of on site provision. This gives the Council greater flexibility in the provision of
the accommodation it requires to meet need.

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Part 3: Analysis of Housing Need and Supply

Analysis of Housing Need

The Redbridge Housing Needs & Requirements Study demonstrates that housing need
outstrips supply by some margin. Although the Study shows that there is a surplus of supply in
the private sector market particularly in larger family size properties.

Affordable Housing arising from planning gain will not deliver a sufficient amount of new
housing over the next 5 years to fully meet the need identified by the Housing Needs &
Requirements Study.

The Housing Needs & Requirements Study indicates that there is a need for 4,995 homes for
affordable housing that represents both affordable rent and intermediate (shared ownership)
tenures. Issues of affordability in the intermediate tenures mean that whilst approximately 41%
of the households may aspire to this type of accommodation many will not be in a financial
position to access it. As a result many of these may only be able to have their need met
through the affordable rented market

Table 6.
Need by Bedroom and Tenure

Housing Intermediate Rent Total

Requirement
1 Bedrooms 411 575 986
2 Bedrooms 867 689 1,556
3 Bedrooms 678 1,193 1,871
4 Bedrooms 78 277 355
5+ Bedrooms 3 224 227
Totals 2,037 2,958 4,995

Source: Redbridge Housing Needs & Requirements Study 2006

There are significant pressures building up across London that are reflected in Redbridge and
drawn out through the Housing Needs & Requirements Study. In Redbridge, as at 1st February
2006, there were 2717 households living in temporary accommodation – properties leased
from the private sector market. The Homelessness Unit at the Office of the Deputy Prime
Minister has set a target that the use of temporary accommodation must be reduced by 50%
by 2010/11. The base-line figure for Redbridge was 2,332 and the 2010 target is that no more
than 1,166 households should be occupying temporary accommodation.

Table 7.
Numbers in Temporary Accommodation figures as at 31st March 2008

Bedroom Requirement Numbers

Studio 130
1 Bedrooms 617
2 Bedrooms 1,127
3 Bedrooms 634
4 Bedrooms 194
5+ Bedrooms 27
Total 2,729

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There are some 10,000 applicants registered for housing in Redbridge. Those households that
are currently living in temporary accommodation are included in this figure and represent the
highest priority in terms of housing need.

The need for family size accommodation is demonstrated in Table 8 below and shows that
over 6,000 households are requiring family size housing to meet need.

Table 8.
Choice Based Waiting List

Bedroom Total on CBL Of which New Of which

Requirement Applicants in Transfer
2007/8 Applicants
Studio 4,174 484 102
1 Bedrooms 1,656 261 200
2 Bedrooms 4,222 580 254
3 Bedrooms 2,214 280 187
4 Bedrooms 480 51 38
5+ Bedrooms 77 7 5
Totals 12,823 1,668 786

The Housing Needs & Requirements Study has identified the pressures and drivers for housing
need in Redbridge as demonstrated by the following:

Tenancy/
Need to live closer to mortgage Accommodation
essential facilities under notice too expensive

470
Harassment Overcrowding
- 220

40 4,900
Family 10,250 Sharing
Reasons 410 Households 30 facilities

3,610 410
Condition of 1,050 650 Children in
dwelling or high rise flats
amenity
problems
Support Home too
needs difficult to
maintain

Analysis of Housing Supply

An analysis of recent planning applications/approvals shows that the majority of new homes
being developed in the Borough are one and two bedroom flats in town centre locations.

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The Housing Needs & Requirements Study shows that there are significant shortfalls in the
affordable housing sector across all property sizes with a particular emphasis on the need for
larger family size properties.

In terms of bedsize, the HNS identified that there is:

• A shortage of one bedroom accommodation across all tenures

• A surplus of 5+ bedroom properties in the private sector
• A need for additional large homes in the affordable sector
• A shortfall of 4 bedroom properties across all sectors

The analysis shows an imbalance of supply across all sectors of the housing market in the
Borough. There is an excess of 3 and 5 bedroom (1,496 & 1,030) homes in the private sector
whilst a shortfall of this type of accommodation in the affordable rented sector.

The overall position in the private sector is an excess of supply over need of some 1,015 homes
during the projected 5 year period.

The current affordable housing strategy has a target of 200 new homes each year largely
delivered through planning gain. This combined with voids and relets in the Council’s own
stock falls well short of the need identified through the HNS and there is a need to revise this
figure.

Supply to the affordable housing sector may be influenced by a number of factors but will be
dependent on the availability of resources.

There is a net shortfall in the supply chain for affordable housing across all property sizes. This
shortfall is acute in the larger family size homes that are required in the sector.

New development opportunities in town centre locations will not provide the family size
accommodation required to meet the need identified. Other solutions, such as cash in lieu of
on-site provision, will need to be developed to enable the provision of the type of
accommodation needed.

Land values are adversely influencing affordability across all areas of the Borough, which in
turn is reducing the accessibility to affordable housing and causing affordability issues in the
intermediate sector.

Pressures on the need to reduce the use of temporary accommodation is increasing the need
for the supply of large family homes.

The Study indicates a number of policy recommendations to increase supply across all sectors.
These are summarised as follows:

• Encourage the provision of smaller units

• Develop an under-occupation scheme to access larger family homes in the private
sector
• Encourage extensions to create larger family homes

We may also wish to consider funding the de-conversion of properties where possible in the
social housing stock as an aid to the provision of family size homes.

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Funding

Funding for affordable housing can be achieved through three main sources:

• Planning Gain;
• Housing Corporation Social Housing Grant;
• Local Authority Capital Funding.

Whilst investment from the Housing Corporation is welcomed in a sub-regional context the
impact for all Boroughs in the sub-region is a sharing on nominations. Redbridge, due to its low
Housing Needs score in comparison with other neighbouring boroughs, will be a net importer
where such funding is secured.

The Affordable Housing Strategy (AHS) is designed to address the needs set out in the Housing
Needs & Requirements Study. This strategy builds on the analysis to deliver a programme of
homes to meet the needs of the Borough’s residents.

This strategy provides a balanced approach to the provision of affordable housing and
identifies a 60/40% split between rent and intermediate tenures. The range of which includes:

• affordable rent;
• supported housing;
• intermediate housing;
• under-occupation (private and public sector);

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Part 4: Strategic Actions Required to Meet Housing Need

Member Affordable Housing Working Group:

In 2007 the Adult Social Service and Housing Scrutiny Committee established a Member
Affordable Housing Working Group to examine the need for and barriers to the provision of
additional affordable housing in Redbridge. This Working Group met on seven occasions and
received evidence from the Housing Corporation; East Thames Housing Group; London
Borough’s of Hackney and Tower Hamlets and Senior Officers from the Council’s Housing,
Planning and Finance Services.

The Working Group reported its findings back to the Scrutiny Committee on 26th March 2008
with a number of key recommendations that will support an increase in the supply of
affordable housing in the period 2008-11.

These recommendations are set out below under key strategic actions that the Council will
take over the next three years. These recommendations have implications for the Council’s
policy in delivering affordable housing through the Planning System and are a key element to
the Council’s Local Development Framework Core Policies.

Affordable Housing Targets: 1

The Working Group, in considering the level of housing need and the projected supply of
affordable housing over the next three years recommended a target of 500 additional
affordable homes should be delivered annually with effect from 2009/10.

Planning Policy: 2

Planning policy is an important element to increasing the supply of affordable housing. The
existing Local Development Framework now requires the following policy elements that will
enable an increase in this supply;

• A threshold of 10 units will apply to new developments to trigger the provision of

affordable housing

• A overall target of 50% for affordable housing arising from schemes above the
threshold

• The Council will require a 60/40% split between social rented housing and intermediate
tenures arising from planning obligations

• The Council will expect on-site provision of affordable housing will be delivered;

• When considering planning applications that require affordable housing, a housing

impact assessment will form part of the consideration of that application by the
relevant committee.

• That an Urban Capacity Study will be completed in 2008 and provide a basis for forward
planning the delivery of all housing tenures in the Borough.

1
Recommendation 1 of the Affordable Housing Working Group
2
Recommendations 2; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23 of the Affordable Housing Working Group

13
 • That a Supplementary Planning Document on Affordable Housing will be developed in
early 2009 that will define how affordable housing will be delivered through the
Planning System that will include

o The percentage of family size homes that will be required;

o That Housing Associations should be appointed by the developer at an early
stage to influence design;
o That a “Site Registration” system will operate to which developers will conform
to enable consistency in the delivery of affordable housing;
o Habitable Rooms to be a method of calculating the affordable housing
percentage to encourage the provision of larger family size homes.

• That Cash in Lieu arising from the Planning System will be used to procure additional
affordable housing from the private sector.

• Appoint a housing association at the earliest stage of the design of a new development
to enable forward planning of the scheme to meet affordable housing needs in the
Borough.

• High Density development

Affordable Housing Supply:

Affordable housing targets can be met from a number of sources including new development
scheme; land sales; making better use of existing social housing stock and accessing homes
currently in the private sector. The Council will prioritise the following supply options.

Affordable Housing for Social Rent: 3

Family size housing is in short supply in the social housing sector as demonstrated by the
Housing Needs and Requirements Study 2006. This is a problem across London that was
addressed in the Mayor’s Draft Housing Strategy where a target of 42% socially rent and 16% of
intermediate tenure affordable homes should be three bedroom or more.

There is a chronic under supply of family homes (three bedrooms or more) in the social rented
sector and very few in the intermediate sector. Although there is continuing need for one and
two bedroom homes in the affordable sector, there is a particularly serious shortage of large
homes. Over the last ten years, only 6.7 per cent of new affordable homes were of four
bedrooms or more.

The Council will consider funding further extension and deconversion schemes and also the
purchase of larger family homes on the open market to meet overcrowding needs. Whilst this
does not add to the overall housing stock in the Borough it will provide a speed of delivery that
new build schemes cannot achieve, as well as contributing to creating mixed communities.

3
Recommendations 3; 5; 6; 17 of the Affordable Housing Working Group

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 Affordable Housing for Intermediate Tenures: 4

The average price of buying a home in the private sector would require a mortgage
approaching 10 times the salary of someone on an average salary of £31,406. The government
is encouraging people to get onto the home ownership ladder but market values are making
this increasingly inaccessible.

Intermediate tenures include shared ownership; intermediate rent; tenure conversion. The
Council will encourage each of these to provide a range of housing options, in addition to
social rent, that will help meet the needs of the residents of Redbridge.

The Council will promote a range of options that will assist in making intermediate tenures and
in particular shared ownership more affordable through:

• Nil rent on unsold equity

• Lower initial percentage to buy
• A Cap on the market value
• Higher levels of Social Housing Grant

Each of these options will require the co-operation and agreement of the Housing Corporation;
Housing Association partners and developers. The Council will actively promote these options
through it’s partnership arrangements.

Better Use of Existing Social Housing Stock: 5

Overcrowding has become a major pressure point due to the lack of family size homes
becoming available through new build developments. This strategy will seek to enable all
social landlords working in the Borough, including the Council, to provide more family
accommodation, for example through extensions and de-conversions of existing social
housing to reduce overcrowding in its housing.

It will do this through:

• Funding an under-occupation scheme to help people move to more suitable

accommodation and release family size homes in existing social housing stock;

• Providing cash incentives to enable households to move to more suitable

accommodation and include non cash incentives such as decorations and carpets to
reduce the disruptions of the move;

• Continuing the existing Cash Incentive scheme and extend its scope to include housing
association tenants in return for nominations rights;

• Enabling Loft Conversions and extensions to existing Council housing where

appropriate to resolve overcrowding whilst helping families stay in their existing
communities;

• Investigating the potential for de-converting homes. Some housing owned by the
Council and Housing Associations comprise properties that have previously been

4
Recommendations 3; 4; 13 of the Affordable Housing Working Group
5
Recommendations 3; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10 of the Affordable Housing Working Group

15
 converted into flats. In the current circumstances these arrangements are an inefficient
use of resources. It is proposed that a survey of all social housing in the borough is
commissioned to determine how many properties could be de-converted to provide
additional family size homes.

• A programme examining the future use of some of its garage and miscellaneous sites.
Some of these sites will present an opportunity for the development of affordable
housing in partnership with one or more housing associations. The precise number of
properties that could be achieved on these sites would be subject to planning consent
and therefore the exact number of homes that could be provided is not known

Better Use of Housing Land and Resources: 6

The Council is a major landowner in the Borough and some of this land could be available for
the development of affordable housing. Some of this land resource is held by the Housing
Service and could be released for development.

The Council will consider selling land to registered social landlords (housing associations) at a
discounted price where appropriate in return for full nomination rights to the housing units
delivered.

Private Sector Initiatives:

There is an urgent need to reduce the use of Temporary Accommodation by 2010. To achieve
this the Council has developed a Homelessness Strategy with a clear focus on using the private
sector in accessing additional homes.

• Rent Deposit Schemes: To help provide a settled home for homeless households the
Council will make available a rent deposit scheme to secure suitable homes in the
private housing market for rent. This will provide an immediate solution to
homelessness.

• Mortgage Rescue Scheme: The Council recognises that with the current “credit crunch”
that some households may be under financial pressure, which could result in the
repossession of their homes through mortgage arrears. The Council will work with it’s
housing association partners and the Housing Corporation to develop a mortgage
rescue scheme. This scheme could enable existing households to remain in their
existing homes.

• Private Sector Leasing: The Council has secured a contract to secure access to private
sector homes for rent through a number of experienced providers. This source of
supply will assist the Council in providing settled homes for homeless households.

• Purchase & Repair Schemes: The Private Sector Leasing Scheme operated by the
Council to support the Homelessness Strategy has secured over 2,700 properties on 3-5
year leases. Over the next 5 years many of these leases will come up for renewal.

It is proposed that capital resources, secured through the planning process, could be
used to purchase properties where leases are coming to an end. This will enable such
properties to become permanent affordable homes whilst existing households remain
in their community.

6
Recommendation 12 of the Affordable Housing Working Group

16
 • Targeting ex-RTB properties: The purchase of homes from the private sector has been
proposed as a means to increase the supply of affordable housing.

It is proposed that, through the Council’s partnership with Housing Associations, ex-
Right to Buy properties are targeted. Experience of recent acquisitions through the
existing Purchase and Repair Scheme shows that better value for money can be
achieved in terms of the level of grant required to secure access to such properties.

Supported Housing:

The Council has a Supporting People Five Year Strategy to assist people with support needs. A
key part of this strategy is to provide people, who are able to move onto independent living, a
home of their own.

The Council has secured, through it s preferred housing association partnership, agreement for
the supply of 20 homes each year over a five year period which commenced in 2007/8. The
Council will continue to lobby the Housing Corporation to provide funding for this supply of
homes which is helping to release the backlog of places in existing supported housing.

Places of Change:

The Council has secured, through the Places of Change programme set up by Communities
and Local Government, funding to provide up to 35 units of accommodation at:

• Pathway 1 - Redbridge Night Shelter - 14 single rooms plus 2 doubles - will become
emergency short stay assessment centre.

• Pathway 2 - Welcome Centre -10 single rooms as supported Move On from short stay
assessment centre.

• Pathway 3 - Gresham Drive, Chadwell Heath - further 9 self-contained units for semi-
independent living developed by RSL partner, Look Ahead with Housing Corporation
funding.

Under-Occupation Scheme:

The Housing Strategy for Older People has been developed following the Housing Needs &
Requirements Study which highlighted that there is an over-supply of homes in the private
sector market. It is understood that many of these homes will be under-occupied and in a poor
state of repair.

It is proposed that capital resources are made available to provide alternative housing in such
circumstances and a package that enables the purchase of the vacated property through a
housing association. Where such an arrangement is put in place the housing association will be
required to renovate the property to bring it up to the decent homes standard.

Investment Priorities:

Significant investment will be required to meet housing need. The Council has access to
various funding streams, which will support the strategic actions set out in this stragey:

17
Capital Programme: The need to provide resources through the Capital Programme will be an
essential component of the Council’s enabling role. It is proposed that the capital programme
will support the other funding sources to enable the delivery of the targets set out in this
strategy.

Capital Allowance: The Capital Allowance is derived from the sale of non-right to buy resources
in the Housing Revenue Account. The capital receipts received from these sales may be used to
support the delivery of new homes, delivery of the decent homes initiative and regeneration.

It is proposed that priority for the use of these resources is given to the provision of affordable
housing.

Estate Regeneration: The Council has a programme of examining underused garage and
miscellaneous sites in the Housing Revenue Account. Some of these sites form part of wider
housing areas, particularly in the north of the Borough, and present opportunities to improve
both housing provision and the general environment.

It is proposed that where such opportunities exist that, subject to Cabinet and on a site to site
basis, sites are disposed of at a discount or nil cost in order to generate these additional
benefits to the Council.

Housing Corporation: The National Affordable Housing Programme is the government’s

investment vehicle that is currently managed by the Housing Corporation. This programme
makes social housing grant funding available to housing associations that enables them to
develop or acquire additional affordable housing. The Council will continue to work with the
Housing Corporation to secure increased investment into the Borough that will secure access
to more affordable homes.

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