Inventing our future Collective action for a sustainable economy

16
4.25 In preparing the East of England Plan, EERA commissioned an Affordable Housing Study in 2003.
Information from this study informed the development of Policy SS13 on overall housing provision.
Within the average provision for 23,900 additional dwellings each year, social rented housing
should, based on this study, account for around 7,200 dwellings to accommodate the anticipated
net additional need within the growing population of the Region. This amounts to some 30% of
overall provision.
4.26 A second Affordable Housing Study (Phase 2 – 2004) has calculated that a further 1,320 units per
year over 10 years will be needed to deal with the backlog of unmet need for social housing which
is currently manifest in homelessness statistics and households trapped in overcrowding
or otherwise unacceptable conditions. This is a rolling target that is difficult to identify precisely,
and will require ongoing monitoring.
4.27 The Phase 2 report also attempted to quantify the volume of the Region’s ‘intermediate market‘
i.e. those households which would not qualify for social rented provision, but could not afford
access to housing through the open market. The need for affordable housing provision for this
group was estimated to be a further 2,400 dwellings per annum. A key element of this is the
provision of 760 dwellings per year for Key Workers as defined under the Government’s Key
Worker Living initiative; many of the others can be assumed to represent other categories of
employee recognisable as Key Workers for local communities and economies within the Region.
4.28 Adding all these elements of future need for affordable housing results in a volume of roughly
11,000 13 dwellings per year. As a consequence, the East of England Plan sets an aspirational target
that affordable housing should exceed 40% of the new housing provision in the period up to
2015, to provide dwellings for social renting, Key Workers, and other intermediate needs, and to
reduce the backlog of currently unmet need.
4.29 Local targets should support the achievement of the regional targets set out in the East of
England Plan.
4.30 By seeking to deliver housing in line with the draft East of England Plan, the RHS will also be
supporting the RES, in particular Goal 4, Priority One that a suitable supply of homes is key to
a successful economy. Key actions within the RES include:
• ensure sufficient high quality homes are developed in the right locations to support
economic activity and regeneration
• promote public and private partnerships and mechanisms to provide land for housing
development
• address affordable housing needs and the housing needs of migrant workers, refugees
and other socially excluded groups through cross agency working
• co-ordinate regional programmes to address skills gaps and shortages in the built
environment professions, and develop skills to take advantage of the latest sustainable
construction techniques
• develop demonstrator projects that deliver high density, resource efficient affordable homes
to maximise the use of brownfield land opportunities.
13 7,200 social rented+2,400 intermediate+1,320 social rented backlog