Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts
Rackheath Eco-commuity, Greater Norwich
Rackheath Eco-commuity Summary Rackheath is oe of the proposed sites for ew eco-tows. The eco-tows debate has geerated plety of media iterest, ad Shelter has writte a series of leaflets to help clarify the facts. This leaflet sets out the key housig issues for Greater Norwich, ad looks at the impact o housig that a eco-tow could have locally. I March 2007, there were approximately 12,260 households o housig waitig lists i the districts of Broadlad, Norwich ad South Norfolk, which comprise Greater Norwich. The umber of affordable homes beig reted out each year is owhere ear adequate to meet local eed. Over the 10-year period from 1997/98 to 2006/07, there were a additioal 2,400 social reted homes provided i Greater Norwich; however, more tha 4,000 social reted homes were lost, maily through demolitios ad the Right to Buy scheme. House prices have rise far more quickly tha earigs i Greater Norwich. For example, i 2007, a average-priced home i Broadlad District cost almost ie times average earigs whereas i 1997 this figure was four times average earigs. Although house prices are fallig, mortgages are harder to secure ad more expesive, ad the situatio has ot improved. I the East of Eglad, 225,000 households are costatly strugglig to pay, or fallig behid with, their mortgage or ret paymets. People faced with high housig costs tell Shelter that these costs cause them depressio ad axiety, forcig them to sell possessios ad reduce spedig o essetials such as clothig for their childre. The proposed eco-commuity i Rackheath would provide aroud 3,400 homes, of which betwee 30 ad 40 per cet (or 1,020 1,360 homes) would be affordable, icludig social reted homes ad properties for low cost home owership. We hope you ll use the iformatio i this booklet to decide whether the proposed eco-commuity i Rackheath could help meet local eeds. Make your voice cout. Take part i the cosultatio processes ad esure your views are heard about whether a eco-commuity should go ahead ad, if so, what it should look like. Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts 3
Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts
Itroductio I July 2007, the Govermet made a historic commitmet to tackle Britai s housig crisis by deliverig three millio additioal homes by 2020. The proposal to build a series of eco-tows is part of the Govermet s strategy to achieve this housig commitmet ad deliver the homes that are eeded. Eco-tows are ot the oly optio for icreased housebuildig but they offer the potetial to develop sustaiable homes withi mixed commuities that respod to the core challege of climate chage, while also helpig to tackle high utility bills. However, for these tows to achieve their potetial, ad avoid the may mistakes made i the past, it is essetial that serious social ad evirometal cocers are addressed. Eco-tow public cosultatios are ow uderway ad it is vital that local people take the opportuity to cotribute their views ad opiios, so that a wide rage of perspectives is cosidered. Very ofte, members of local commuities kow far better tha the developers what ew housig developmets eed to iclude, ad what type of public services, particularly trasport liks, eed to be provided. These views eed to be heard. What is a eco-tow? Whe the Govermet set out proposals for eco-tows, it outlied how these ew tows should be differet from previous developmets. Sigificat requiremets are that the eco-tow should: have a zero carbo impact as a whole cotai employmet opportuities ad a full rage of ameities, such as schools, health cliics ad public trasport, to esure that it is as self-cotaied as practicable achieve high stadards of architecture ad urba desig empower the ew commuity; for example, through owership of commuity assets ad active ivolvemet i the life of the tow cotai a full rage of housig by size, teure ad type, so that residets ca cotiue to live affordably i the tow throughout their life, helpig to maitai a sustaiable commuity. Rackheath: the proposal The proposed site for Rackheath eco-commuity is i Broadlad District. The site lies betwee the existig settlemets of Rackheath, New Rackheath, ad Salhouse, ad would icorporate these areas, alog with their idustrial estates, ito a larger urba settlemet. It cosists of lad previously used as a Secod World War air base that has sice bee partly developed for idustrial use, but maily retured to farmlad. It is primarily greefield lad. Barratt Homes ad Buildig Parterships Ltd are proposig to build a eco-commuity with approximately 3,400 ew homes, of which betwee 30 ad 40 per cet would be affordable, icludig social reted homes ad properties for low-cost owership. Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts
This locatio for growth has bee idetified by the Greater Norwich Developmet Partership i the emergig Joit Core Strategy for Greater Norwich (icludig Broadlad District Coucil, Norwich City Coucil ad South Norfolk District Coucil), ad is ow beig promoted as a eco-tow, with the local authorities support, workig with Barratt Homes ad Buildig Parterships Ltd. It is proposed that a ew eco-commuity i Rackheath would be well placed to serve the high levels of housig demad ad eed i the area, give its close proximity to the city of Norwich. A earlier proposal had bee made for a eco-tow o the former Coltishall Air Base, which lies o the edge of the Greater Norwich sub-regio, lyig astride the boudary betwee Broadlad ad North Norfolk districts. This was promoted by the Coltishall Group o lad owed by the Govermet. Local coucils expressed cocers about the Coltishall proposal, questioig the site s sustaiability ad the suitability of its locatio. A particular problem idetified was the isolatio of the site from curret public trasport etworks ad its distace from the areas of housig eed i Norwich ad the North Norfolk coast. Figure 1: Geeral area showig locatio of Rackheath ad Coltishall A140 Coltishall B1149 B1150 B1354 A1062 A140 A1067 Norwich Iteratioal Airport Rackheath A1074 A47 Norwich A47 The Govermet has published a sustaiability assessmet for this area that has cofirmed the cocers regardig a locatio at Coltishall Air Base. This earlier proposal has therefore bee passed over i favour of the proposal for a eco commuity i Rackheath. Rackheath was the oly eco-tow proposal to be give Grade A status uder the sustaiability appraisal for the whole of Eglad. Figure 2: Excerpt from masterpla for the Rackheath proposal Source: www.rackheatheco-commuity.com Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts
Do we really eed more homes i Greater Norwich? The umber of households i Greater Norwich has bee growig steadily, maily due to a icrease i life expectacy, people choosig to live aloe, smaller family sizes, ad i-migratio. Give the attractio of Norfolk as a place to live, people have bee movig here from other parts of the coutry for a log time a tred expected to cotiue. O the basis of preset treds, it is projected that the umber of households i Greater Norwich would rise by 28 per cet betwee 2001 ad 2021. This level of growth suggests that aroud 42,000 additioal homes may be required to house these ew households, or 2,100 ew homes per year. Greater Norwich has bee declared a growth poit by the Govermet, ad the East of Eglad Pla (a 20-year pla for housig ad other developmets, decided i cosultatio with local people) icludes a higher target for housig growth i the area. The Pla requires at least 37,500 homes from 2001 2021, traslatig ito 1,875 homes per year. Of these, 33,000 homes should be located cetrally i the Norwich Policy Area, ie the city plus the first rig of villages aroud it as well as Wymodham ad Log Stratto. This area icludes Rackheath ad, therefore, the homes proposed for the eco-commuity would help achieve this target. I recet years, house prices have spiralled, rets have rise, ad a icreasig proportio of households caot afford to pay market prices. The recet dowtur i the housig market ad i mortgage ledig has made it more difficult for may people to purchase their first home, ad to move to a ew home, but there are ot eough affordable homes beig built as a alterative. As a result, housig waitig lists have grow sigificatly, ad homelessess is a costat worry for those households with the fewest resources. But are t there eough homes plaed? I accordace with the East of Eglad Pla, the Greater Norwich Developmet Partership has developed a strategy for the area that proposes a housig target of 47,500 ew homes from 2001 to 2026, or 1,900 additioal homes per year. From 2001 to 2007, early 9,300 ew homes were delivered i Greater Norwich. The average aual supply of 1,546 homes was sigificatly less tha the rate that eeds to be achieved i the future to meet the housig targets for the area, uderliig the eed for a step chage i housig delivery. At the ed of March 2007, there were plaig permissios ad allocatios i local plas for a further 15,000 homes withi Greater Norwich. This meas that further sites eed to be foud for aroud 13,200 additioal homes by 2021, ad a total of early 23,300 by 2026 to meet targets. Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts
Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts
Some additioal homes ca be built withi the existig built-up area of Norwich, but the Partership s emergig Joit Core Strategy recogises that a substatial umber must be foud outside this area. Public cosultatio o the Core Strategy idetified the orth-east sector extedig out from the city as a favoured locatio for housig developmet, proposig 6,000 ew homes by 2026, risig to 10,000 afterwards. Rackheath lies withi this sector, ad therefore the proposed ecocommuity of 3,400 ew homes could make a sigificat cotributio to realisig the potetial of this area. How may more affordable homes are eeded i Greater Norwich? A recet study of the housig market i Greater Norwich (the Housig Market Assessmet 2006/07) estimated that, of all ew homes provided to meet growth over the ext five years, approximately 43 per cet should be affordable (of which 87 per cet should be social reted homes ad 13 per cet for itermediate housig). This would imply a eed for 842 affordable homes per year, of which 736 should be social reted homes ad 106 itermediate housig. Despite previous strog delivery of affordable housig i Norwich, recet provisio has come owhere ear the level of eed idetified. Figure 3, below, shows the umber of affordable homes that were built i Greater Norwich from 1996/97 to 2006/07. At its peak i 2006/07, the supply of ew affordable housig reached 550 homes per year. However, i the five years leadig up to 2006/07, approximately 375 affordable homes were supplied o average each year, of which oly 73 per cet were social reted. Figure 3: Supply of additioal affordable homes i Greater Norwich 700 600 500 400 300 Social reted homes Itermediate homes ew homes 200 100 0 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 Source: CLG Live Tables Why are more affordable homes eeded? House prices have rise steeply i Greater Norwich i recet years ad the area s stock of affordable homes has ot kept pace with demad. While it is ow more expesive to obtai your home o the ope market, the lack of supply of affordable homes meas it is also harder to get access to subsidised housig if you eed it. For example, i Broadlad District a mortgage of four times the average earigs would have eabled someoe to buy a average-priced home i 1997. By 2007, the ratio had grow to almost ie times the average earigs see Figure 4, overleaf. Now, the situatio is eve worse for people o lower icomes, icludig may first-time buyers. For these people i Broadlad District, lower-quartile house prices have rise to more tha 10 times lower-quartile earigs. Although house prices are fallig, mortgages are icreasigly harder to secure ad more expesive, ad the situatio has ot improved. Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts
Figure 4: Average* earigs compared with average house prices 10 Broadlad Norwich South Norfolk Eglad ratio of average earigs to average house prices 8 6 4 2 0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 This is a sapshot of April 1 of each year. *Average media is the mid-poit of the earig ad house price distributio. Source: CLG Live Tables As housig costs have rise, the eed for affordable housig, to ow or ret, has icreased, yet ot eough affordable homes have bee built to meet this eed. The umber of households o the local housig waitig lists gives some isight ito how the backlog of umet eed has grow. At the ed of March 2007, there were approximately 12,260 households o the waitig lists i Greater Norwich see Figure 5, below. Figure 5: Households o housig waitig lists i Greater Norwich o. of households 6000 5500 5000 4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 Broadlad 2000 2001 Norwich 2002 South Norfolk 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Source: HSSA ad CORE data This is a sapshot of March 31 each year. Source: CLG Live Tables Not everyoe o these waitig lists represets a eed for additioal housig. For example, some will be lookig to move from oe reted property ito a larger oe. Noetheless, where people are livig i ufit properties, or are forced to share with other households, these are real eeds that ca oly be addressed through additioal homes beig made available. Those most severely affected are people who are actually homeless. Betwee 2004/05 ad 2007/08 a average of 530 households per year approached the coucils ad were accepted as homeless i Greater Norwich. While these people are typically give priority for vacat homes over those o the waitig lists, the shortage of vacacies ca mea that homeless households have to be housed i temporary accommodatio. As a result, at the ed of Jue 2008, 70 homeless households were livig i temporary accommodatio i these three districts. Every day, Shelter sees first had the impact that livig i this situatio has o people s lives. A recet study by Shelter foud that i the east of Eglad there are 225,000 households who are costatly strugglig to pay, or fallig behid with, their mortgage or ret paymets. People faced with high housig costs 10 Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts
tell Shelter that these costs cause them depressio ad axiety, forcig them to sell possessios ad reduce spedig o essetials, such as clothig for their childre. Livig i temporary accommodatio ca be particularly usettlig, especially for childre, because it ca cause health problems, affect schoolwork, ad sometimes lead to family breakdow. Local coucils ad housig associatios have bee workig to house those i eed by maagig more effectively the stock of social reted homes available, but total lettigs i Greater Norwich have declied i recet years. At a average of just over 2,700 lettigs a year, this is owhere ear adequate to meet local eed, ad the situatio is becomig worse see Figure 6, overleaf. This problem has bee exacerbated by the loss of retal stock through demolitios ad the Right to Buy. Figure 6: Lettigs of social housig i Greater Norwich o. of homes 2500 2250 2000 1750 1500 1250 1000 750 500 250 0 '00/01 '01/02 '02/03 Broadlad '03/04 '04/05 Source: Housig Strategy Statistical Appedix ad CORE data. Norwich '05/06 South Norfolk '06/07 Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts 11
12 Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts
How ca we be sure that local people will be able to get a home i a eco-tow? The proposed eco-commuity could help to accommodate the projected household growth withi the area. This projectio of growth is based o a cotiuatio of the preset treds, plus a icrease i the already substatial movemet of people ito the couty from outside the area. Because this area has bee prioritised for strategic housig developmet, ew developmets are likely to attract a mix of ew residets, primarily from the locality, but also from further afield. If the umbers of ew homes were ot sufficiet to meet total eed, the pressure to move ito the area would cotiue, ad competitio for housig i the market would be eve keeer pricig local people eve further out of the market. The itetio of the eco-commuity proposal is to icrease the amout of housig that is affordable for people workig locally. By esurig a sufficiet housig supply i the future, the competitio for housig is reduced, ad the opportuity for local people to fid a affordable home i the area ca be maximised. How ca we be sure that affordable homes will be provided? The proposal for a eco-commuity i Rackheath provides betwee 30 ad 40 per cet affordable housig i the developmet, icludig social reted homes ad properties available for low-cost home owership. Give the levels of eed, the area would clearly beefit from a proportio of affordable homes towards the upper ed of this 30 40 per cet rage, the vast majority of which should be social reted housig. If plaig permissio was grated for the developmet of a eco-commuity i Rackheath it would be subject to a legthy list of coditios, icludig a agreemet by the developer to fulfil formal obligatios relatig to the provisio of facilities, ifrastructure ad affordable housig. This agreemet would usually iclude a commitmet from the developer to provide the affordable homes. You ca help esure this happes by gettig ivolved i the cosultatio processes. Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts 13
What will make Rackheath a eco-tow? This will maily be determied i the detailed stages of future plaig. The framework through which this proposal has come forward would seem to esure that it is i accordace with the broad criteria laid dow by the Govermet. However, with the iformatio curretly available, it is possible to make some observatios ow o ay future housig i Greater Norwich. Efforts will eed to be made to esure that the sigificatly higher stadards of desig ad materials to meet eco-stadards do ot result i housig i the eco-commuity beig less affordable tha existig homes i the area. The eviromet outside the home is as importat as the oe withi. Therefore, the desig of residetial areas ad their residets access to employmet ad ameities i the tow must receive as much attetio as the eco-friedly status of their idividual homes. Residets eed to look upo the eco-commuity itself as their home too, with all the sese of place ad belogig that goes with this. The proportio of affordable homes proposed for a eco-commuity i Rackheath is betwee 30 ad 40 per cet. Give the level of eed, ad i accordace with the housig market assessmet, the area would beefit from a proportio closer to the top of this rage, with the majority beig social reted. I additio, it will be importat to esure that the itermediate housig is affordable to people o lower icomes. Does the rest of the coutry have these problems? Home owership out of reach for may Over the last 10 years, the cost of the average home i Eglad has almost tripled, to more tha 200,000. This has left most first-time buyers priced out of the market. Although house prices are ow fallig, the credit cruch meas that home owership remais out of reach for may, largely because it is gettig harder to secure mortgages. I additio, mortgage repossessios are predicted to rise to 75,000 i 2009. Cost of retig homes too high The lack of affordable housig has t just bee felt by aspirig homeowers. People livig i the private reted sector are more likely to struggle to pay for housig costs tha those with a mortgage. I tur, the lack of affordable homes o the market has put moutig pressure o the social sector. Nearly 1.7 millio households i Eglad are curretly o housig waitig lists (a icrease of almost two-thirds i the past 10 years). Ufortuately, those lucky eough to have a social reted home are more likely to be overcrowded, because there are ot eough family-sized homes i this sector. 14 Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts
Why are homes uaffordable? The rate of housebuildig has ot kept pace with rapidly icreasig demad, ad this, i cojuctio with the easy-access mortgages of the recet past, has led to steep house price rises. The amout of affordable housig, such as local authority ad housig associatio homes, has bee gradually reduced by the sell-off of coucil housig uder the Right to Buy scheme, ad by successive govermets failure to replace these homes. House prices are ow fallig, but the uderlyig issues have ot chaged. There are still too few homes beig built. The impact of the affordability crisis The lack of affordable homes i Britai has hit millios of people hard. People are strugglig to meet housig costs ad, i some cases, are at severe risk of homelessess as a result. May more are trapped i overcrowded, dilapidated, damp or temporary housig, uable to afford to ret or buy a secure, comfortable home. The cosequeces of this situatio ca be devastatig. Childre livig i bad housig are almost twice as likely as other childre to suffer from poor health, early twice as likely ot to get ay GCSEs, ad more likely to be bullied ad excluded from school. Parets fear that thigs may be much harder for their childre. Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts 15
What happes ow? There is geeral ackowledgmet that the UK has cosistetly failed to build eough homes for a umber of years. With the fall i house prices, housebuilders are limitig productio eve further, ad empty homes will ot be sufficiet to satisfy housig eed. I April 2008, 15 potetial eco-tow locatios were selected for detailed cosideratio. Oly whe all aspects of each tow have bee carefully scrutiised will ay decisio be take to go ahead with the developmet, ad eve the the proposals will be fully vetted through the local plaig process. It is vital that local people take the opportuity to have their say ad actively participate i the cosultatio process. A atioal govermet cosultatio o the geeral priciples of eco-tows ad iitial reactios to the 15 suggested locatios closed o Jue 30. Public exhibitios were held i the area at the ed of October ad the begiig of November, ad aother exhibitio is plaed to take place at Rackheath School o 11 ad 12 December. There are plas for a series of cosultatio evets to be held by the Govermet i the regio of each potetial eco-tow locatio, icludig Rackheath, should this proposal move forward. These will take place i witer 2008/09. There will also be the opportuity to provide feedback o the Rackheath proposal olie. If the Rackheath proposal moves forward ad eters the local plaig system, there will be additioal meetigs ad further olie opportuities for people to express their views. How ca I get ivolved? Atted a local cosultatio evet ad make your views kow. Discuss this iformatio with your family, frieds, eighbours ad colleagues at work. Cotact Shelter to fid out more about our work i this area ad other ways to help. 16 Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts
Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts 17
Further iformatio Rackheath Eco-commuity Proposal: www.rackheatheco-commuity.com Greater Norwich Developmet Partership: www.gdp.org.uk Broadlad District Coucil: www.broadlad.gov.uk Commuities ad Local Govermet: www.commuities.gov.uk/ecotows Glossary Affordable housig This icludes social reted homes ad itermediate housig. Browfield Previously developed lad, icludes aythig from old factory sites to suburba gardes. East of Eglad Pla A 20-year pla for housig ad other developmets, decided i cosultatio with local people. Gree belt A lad use policy which retais areas of largely udeveloped, wild, or agricultural lad that surrouds urba areas. Greefield Udeveloped lad, either curretly used for agriculture, or left fallow. Growth-poit Desigated area for ecoomic developmet where there is the potetial to locate sigificat umbers of additioal homes to meet growig demad. Household projectios The household projectios are a idicatio of the likely icrease i households, give the cotiuatio of recet demographic treds. Note: sub-regioal household projectios are ot as robust as regioal projectios. Housig shortfall This idicates too few homes beig built, ad is the differece betwee the umber of homes built ad the umber of homes eeded or plaed. Itermediate housig Homes offered for shared owership, shared equity, purchased at a discout, or available at a below-market ret. Low-cost home owership This icludes homes available uder shared owership ad shared equity schemes. Shared owership homes are offered to people who caot afford to buy their ow home; idividuals purchase a portio of their home ad pay ret o the rest. Uder shared equity schemes people take out a mortgage loa for the majority of the property, with a low-cost equity loa from a mortgage leder or the Govermet coverig the remaider. Social reted housig Formerly called coucil housig, these homes are provided to people i housig eed by coucils ad housig associatios at affordable rets. 18 Rackheath Eco-commuity the facts
Everyoe should have a home Shelter helps more tha 170,000 people a year fight for their rights, get back o their feet, ad fid ad keep a home. We campaig for decet housig for all. 88 Old Street Lodo EC1V 9HU 0845 458 4590 www.shelter.org.uk ifo@shelter.org.uk Registered charity umber 263710 Cover Image by Getty Photos by Nick David, Sophie Laslett, Adrea Testoi, Pey Tweedie, Getty Images ad Dreamstime. Prited o 100% recycled paper, made i a totally chlorie-free process. This leaflet has bee produced with the support of the Departmet for Commuities ad Local Govermet as part of a programme to esure that people potetially affected by eco-tows have iformatio about housig eed i their area ad how to take part i the cosultatio. RH 1848