I will try and respond to your questions Brian;
Q: Can you tell me exactly what a low cost home represents in the context of price? Is it low cost to the developer/builder, the Council, or the eventual occupant?
A: Low cost is used in both senses according to context. It is really low cost in terms of the eventual occupant but to be fair there is likely to be some correlation between cost to developer (private or public) and cost to occupant. High land prices throw all of this out of kilter.
Q:If as you state, 1383 out of the 3478 homes expected to be built in the LBH will be affordable, the implication is that the remaining 2095, for one reason or another, are 'unaffordable'.
So who is going to live in these 2095 homes?
A: Semantics I am afraid. By definition they will be affordable to someone but not someone on housing benefit or even average wage.
Q: 5 years ago, there were about 12,000 households on the LBH Housing Register, with only 800 or so properties available With regard to getting empty homes back on the market, what has the LBH done about this over the last 10 years or so?
A: Hounslow Homes (a so called arms length body)has been brought in house and is now called Hounslow Housing. HH had an appalling record for the time it took to refurbish its vacated properties. Huge corruption has subsequently been revealed in the maintenance department.
Q: What specific planning conditions does the LBH apply (rigorously), in respect of the affordability portion of a house/flat, i/e mortgage or rent? Or are we only talking about renting? Either way, market forces must have the upper hand in this scenario.
A: LBH has rolled over time and time again. The Lionel Road South site being one of the most recent and the most glaring. 910 housing units and not a single affordable let alone social property.
Q: At any given time, there are about 2000 properties in the LBH, that are empty for whatever reason, of which roughly 500 require intervention by the Council, to be brought back into affordable housing, presumably as a matter of urgency. The Council's stated aim over the 5 year period 2011-2016, envisages just 250 of these properties being brought back into affordable housing - but not presumably as a matter of urgency? So, over that 5 year period just 1250 properties will be affected, leaving a shortfall of 750 on an ongoing annual basis, assuming the Council's estimates are correct.
I would have thought the Council could do a lot better than this.
A: Too right. I am not sure about all your figures but in principle I could not agree more.
Q: Every single house that is built should be 'affordable', first and foremost to those renting or buying.
A: I think we are talking about semantics again. It would be bizarre for developers to build properties that they could neither sell nor let out. However the problem is that the high cost of housing is driving "ordinary folk" out of the area.
Just out of interest the Housing and Environment Scrutiny Committee meets this evening and in the papers posted on the website you will see that some of the questions that you have raised above are being raised by members of the Committee (including me). I can pretty much guarantee no members of the public or reps of local groups will attend.
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| Topic | Date Posted | Posted By |
| 100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 13:09:00 | Alison Neary |
| Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 13:14:00 | Jill Merrett |
| Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 13:15:00 | Alison Neary |
| Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 13:24:00 | Loraine Pemberton |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 13:30:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 14:19:00 | Richard Greenhough |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 14:45:00 | Paul Wright |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 15:54:00 | Richard Greenhough |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 15:56:00 | Paul Wright |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 17:00:00 | Anne England |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 25/09/15 20:18:00 | Steve Taylor |
| Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 16:12:00 | Helen Bamberger |
| Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 16:15:00 | Alison Neary |
| Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 16:17:00 | Helen Bamberger |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 16:20:00 | Alison Neary |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 16:23:00 | Paul Wright |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 16:47:00 | Helen Bamberger |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 16:52:00 | Alison Neary |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 16:58:00 | Helen Bamberger |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 16:59:00 | Alison Neary |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 17:08:00 | Paul Wright |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 17:21:00 | Alison Neary |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 17:23:00 | Loraine Pemberton |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 19:17:00 | Loraine Pemberton |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 16:47:00 | Helen Bamberger |
| Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 16:18:00 | Paul Wright |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 16:22:00 | Alison Neary |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 16:40:00 | Loraine Pemberton |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 16:47:00 | Paul Wright |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 17:00:00 | Loraine Pemberton |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless | 24/09/15 19:51:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 10:46:00 | Loraine Pemberton |
| Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 11:31:00 | Cllr Sam Hearn |
| Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 12:12:00 | Paul Wright |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 13:20:00 | Cllr Sam Hearn |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 13:34:00 | Paul Wright |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 13:35:00 | Paul Wright |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 13:35:00 | Paul Wright |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 13:52:00 | Rima Jones |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 14:06:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 14:37:00 | Angela Knight |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 14:39:00 | Alison Neary |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 14:56:00 | Cllr Sam Hearn |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 15:06:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 16:12:00 | Brian Coyle |
| Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 18:07:00 | Vanessa Smith |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 25/09/15 18:12:00 | Philippa Bond |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 28/09/15 14:10:00 | Brian Coyle |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:100,000 Children homeless - Paul O'Grady | 28/09/15 16:39:00 | Cllr Sam Hearn |