everyone should have
somewhere to call home
what is
the issue?
- There are estimated to be 67,500 homes on the Isle of Wight
- There are currently 3,227 second homes on the island (4.78%)
- This is above the UK average of 3% (772,000 in 2019)
Community Led Housing
Community Action has been commissioned by the Isle of Wight Council to help with the delivery of their new Community Led Housing Programme made possible by monies from the government’s Community Housing Fund. We are here to support groups by giving advice, sharing best practice from other areas, and helping identify additional professional and technical advice as they take forward schemes in their communities. Grant funding* is also available to help towards the set up costs, feasibility work including professional fees, and potentially with land purchase and building costs
What is Community Led Housing?
It is an exciting new approach to providing homes. It goes beyond just consulting the local community on housing or specific planning applications for housing, it is about people being empowered to come together as a group to play a part in the development of new homes in their area which benefit their local community, clients of voluntary sector organisations or in some cases themselves directly.
Your group will need to legally establish itself as a not for profit organisation. You will then be involved from start to finish in deciding what is needed, where it might be built, what it might look like and who will be able to live there and often will continue to have a role in the management or stewardship of properties and sites into the future.
Schemes can be done in partnership with an organisation such as a Housing Association or a group may decide to go it alone.
Homes can be for sale, for rent or a mixture of both, built for and owned by the community for the long term benefit of the community. This benefit can be from the housing itself or from income derived from it through rent or sale which can then be used for other community assets.
Often the homes created are kept as affordable homes in perpetuity.
How can I find out more?
Contact John Prickett Community Led Housing Officer at Community Action.
Telephone 01983 524058. Email: John Prickett jprickett@actioniw.org.uk
Deal Summary for Freshwater
- Acquisition through forward funding of 45 x 1-bed and 15 x 2-bed Extra Care apartments for rent; and 15 x 2-bed apartments for shared ownership at Freshwater.
- The transaction will be supported by an affordable housing grant of c.£4.3m from Homes England allocated directly to FAHHA.
- Planning permission in place and signed Section 106 Agreement.
- 20-year Management Lease agreed with Southern Housing Group who will also provide domiciliary care services.
- Provision of social benefit through the housing and care of older and vulnerable residents in a Council with above national average of older people population.
- is reepresenst hhThe proposed scheme is aligned with Isle of Wight Council’s Extra Care Housing Strategy and will be subject to a nomination agreement along with revenue contribution towards support costs.is reepresenst hh
- Property due diligence and valuation commissions completed by JLL.
- Legal due diligence completed by Trowers & Hamlin.
- Contracts exchanged and completed in March 2019.
- Start on site achieved in March 2019, target completion date November 2020.
Deal summary for Ryde
- Acquisition through forward funding of 63 x 1-bed and 12 x 2-bed Extra Care apartments; and 27 x 2-bed shared ownership bungalows at Ryde.
- The transaction will be supported by an affordable housing grant of c.£5.0m from Homes England allocated directly to FAHHA.
- 20-year Management Lease agreed with Southern Housing Group.
- Provision of social benefit through the housing and care of older and vulnerable residents in a Council with above national average of older people population.
- The proposed scheme is aligned with Isle of Wight Council’s Extra Care Housing Strategy and will be subject to a nomination agreement along with revenue contribution towards support costs.
- Property due diligence and valuation commissions completed by JLL.
- Legal due diligence completed by Trowers & Hamlin.
- Start on site achieved in March 2018, target completion date February 2020.
£4.2M Cameron Close, Isle of Wight
Residential
Client
Southern Housing Group
Duration
2013 - 2015
Value
£4.2M
Services
Employer’s Agent, Cost
Consultant, Principle
Designer (CDMC), Clerk of
Works
Contract
JCT Design & Build 2012
Funding
HCA and Isle of Wight
Council
Sustainability
Passivhaus
calfordseaden was appointed as Employer’s Agent, including Clerk of Works services,
Cost Consultant and Principle Designer on Cameron Close project. The project comprised
redevelopment of an existing site owned by our client. The site was formerly used for
supported housing and was no longer deemed “fit for purpose” both physically and financially.
One of the key objectives of this project was to make Cameron Close a Passivhaus
development over and above Code level 3, as it best meets the group’s sustainability
objectives without the need to provide expensive renewable technology. Our client, Southern
Housing Group, moved their former residents living on the site to a new modern sheltered
housing scheme, Whitmore Court, which provided residents with more suitable care.
Funding was provided by the HCA in addition to the investment from Southern Housing Group,
but following receipt of tenders in financial viability terms the scheme was not sustainable.
Following discussion with the Isle of Wight Council, their aspiration to become zero carbon
beacon for other authorities provided “top up funding” to ensure the scheme could be
progressed.
The 16 houses were identified as affordable rent units with the remaining 12 apartments
identified for over 50’s sheltered housing, being more appropriate for the user group with the
added benefit of vacating under-used housing elsewhere on the island. The 12 apartments
incorporated a facility to separate part of the living-dining room to create a guest bedroom
should the need arise.
Sovereign Housing Association launches 100% affordable scheme on Isle of Wight
Sovereign Housing Association has launched a 100% affordable residential scheme in Shalfleet, on the Isle of Wight.
Mixed reactions to plans for 70 new homes in Shalfleet
The application is not ‘set in stone’ and the development team said they would take the feedback from the parish council into consideration
Read and contribute to the 8 readers' comments ↓
There were mixed reactions to plans to build 70 houses in Shalfleet when they were presented to the parish council on Wednesday night.
The proposed development, comprising of two, three and four bed-houses, would be built on land behind the recently completed Burt Close.
Jacobs: Looking to create a legacy
Presenting the latest phase of development to Shalfleet Parish Council, Simon Jacobs, explained the site had been in his family for nearly 30 years, after his parents bought Shalfleet Manor.
Presenting the latest phase of development to Shalfleet Parish Council, Simon Jacobs, explained the site had been in his family for nearly 30 years, after his parents bought Shalfleet Manor.
He said,
“We are looking to create a legacy so that longstanding Shalfleet families, their children and grandchildren, can continue to live, work and bring up their families in Shalfleet.”
24 affordable homes
Talking through the scheme, planning agent Andrew Neale, said the development could see 70 predominantly semi-detached properties, 46 for open market and 24 affordable, built.
Talking through the scheme, planning agent Andrew Neale, said the development could see 70 predominantly semi-detached properties, 46 for open market and 24 affordable, built.
The affordable houses would be broken down into 16 rented and eight shared-ownership houses.
Spink: No really “providing homes for local people”
Isle of Wight Cllr Peter Spink, for Freshwater North and Yarmouth, argued despite what developers said, most houses would not be for the benefit of local people as they would not be able to afford the open market properties.
Isle of Wight Cllr Peter Spink, for Freshwater North and Yarmouth, argued despite what developers said, most houses would not be for the benefit of local people as they would not be able to afford the open market properties.
He said,
“If you are going to be selling the vast majority of these houses on the open market, with no control over whether they go to Islanders, it is not really as you said – providing homes for local people.
“It is providing a small number of the total proportion for local people.”
Mr Jacobs said “it will become clear” that the type of properties they will be building will go to local people as they are not ‘luxury homes’ – potentially costing £200,000 to 300,000, not over half a million.
Parish councillors cautious
Councillors were also cautious about whether the houses would actually go to local families. Demand for Burt Close meant that while the properties could have been sold four times over, many local families missed out — including members of the Burt family, who the close was named after.
Councillors were also cautious about whether the houses would actually go to local families. Demand for Burt Close meant that while the properties could have been sold four times over, many local families missed out — including members of the Burt family, who the close was named after.
Cllr Steve Cowley said the parish council would welcome a discussion about the way the houses are allocated, due to the unhappiness of the way the Burt Close houses were allocated, which for some made it ‘impossible’.
Jacobs: Out of our hands
Mr Jacobs said while the allocation of the first lot of houses ‘was taken out of their hands completely’, having sold the development to Sovereign, there are all sorts of directions they could look at to ensure these houses, particularly the affordable ones, are lived in by locals.
Mr Jacobs said while the allocation of the first lot of houses ‘was taken out of their hands completely’, having sold the development to Sovereign, there are all sorts of directions they could look at to ensure these houses, particularly the affordable ones, are lived in by locals.
One option put forward was a potential community housing project.
The application is not ‘set in stone’ and the development team said they would take the feedback from the parish council into consideration.
A public meeting is going to be held next month, 22nd June at Shalfleet Village Hall, by the developers with more detailed plans.
