Issue - meetings

A report from the Cabinet Member for Housing Services is attached.

Councillor Clare Cummins, Cabinet Member for Housing Services, presented the report regarding the draft Housing Strategy for Bury, which had been updated and a high-level action plan has been developed to support delivery, following feedback from the twelve-week consultation which ran from 30 November 2020 to 22 February 2021.

In response to Members’ questions, Councillor Cummins advised that the response levels were adequate to give meaningful feedback and detailed the hard work of officers to drive response levels. With regards to the protection of greenbelt land, Councillor Cummins advised that although the report reflected respondents’ views on this issue, it was about people and ensuring there were suitable homes in the borough rather than being a strategic planning document.

Decision:

That Cabinet:

1.   Notes the findings of the public consultation and the post consultation revisions, comments and updates.

2.   Adopts the Housing Strategy and proposed arrangements for implementation and governance as set out within this report.

Reasons for the decision:

The new Housing Strategy contributes towards meeting the Council’s priorities across a range of policy areas including climate change. It sets out the scale of housing issues and challenges facing the Borough and provides a clear direction of travel for the delivery of a balanced, diverse housing supply and an opportunity to create successful and inclusive neighbourhoods in conjunction with our Bury 2030 vision.

The Strategy has been informed by our new Housing Need and Demand Assessment and, through early and extensive engagement with a wide range of stakeholders including private developers and registered providers. It was approved by Cabinet for public consultation on the 14 October 2020.

Other options considered and rejected:

Utilise the existing Housing Strategy (2014 – 2024) to deliver housing priorities and guide economic growth and investment in the Borough - this option has been considered and rejected for the following reasons:

·         The existing Housing Strategy (2014 – 2024) is obsolete as the housing landscape and the way in which housing services are delivered has changed considerably in recent years.

·         The Council and its partners would be unclear on their priorities and how to deliver them.