Putting morenew homes on the map

Maidstone Council’s efforts to supply more affordable homes were highlighted last year when it was
named as one of the best performing councils in the country by the Audit Commission. Its quest to ensure that residents have access to quality affordable housing continues in 2010

The council, which transferred its housing stock to Maidstone Housing Trust in 2004, has its own capital programme for investment and last year brought forward 400 new affordable homes – more than any other district in Kent.

The Audit Commission report noted “excellent outcomes” in the supply of affordable homes, with the number of homes significantly exceeding the targets set, despite the challenging conditions of the housing market.

New developments include small and large-scale schemes in both rural and urban locations and the council’s affordable housing policy stipulates that 40 per cent of any new development over 15 units should be affordable housing.

Schemes include Avante in Coxheath, developed by Crest Nicholson, and Oxford Gardens, a Circle Anglia development of family-sized homes on the site of a former school.

The area surrounding the town of Maidstone is largely rural and the decreasing number of affordable housing is having a devastating effect on villages.

“We have seen a haemorrhaging of young people who can’t remain in the villages because they are priced out or there isn’t suitable stock there,” says John Littlemore, chief housing officer. “Things like Right to Buy have taken their toll so it is important for us to be able to put housing back that will remain there for locals.”

The council has been involved in a number of rural developments including a 25-home scheme in Heckham comprising family and older person’s accommodation and eight units in Stockbury – the second rural exception site for the village.

Developing new homes in rural areas is not without its challenges but Maidstone Council prides itself on working closely with parish councils and has recently completed a housing needs survey.

“The biggest challenge is the length of time it takes from inception to finding an appropriate site and delivering it,” says Littlemore. “Inevitably once you identify a site you get some local people not appreciating what you are trying to do but on the whole people have been quite positive and our parish councils have been very good and have worked with us.”

The recession has taken its toll on house building in general and Maidstone Council has done its bit to help get stalled developments up and running, as Littlemore explains: “We have funded a number of schemes ourselves topping up grants from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) so we have only had to put two schemes through the Kickstart programme.”

He continued: “For us it wasn’t just about having homes at the end of it. It was as much about protecting the jobs that went with the industry locally and the small businesses that were supporting those developers in the supply chain.”

The council’s bid to provide quality housing is not just about new developments, its housing advice service oversees its strategy to bring empty homes back into use, preferring to take a “carrot and stick” approach and work with landlords rather than using legislation to force action. In the majority of cases persuasion and financial incentives usually work without the need to resort to legislation. And it has taken a pro-active approach to licensing Houses in Mulitiple Occupation (HMOs) through its dedicated officer, with all known licensable HMOs now licensed and over 80 per cent of those properties complying with current safety standards.

It is also working to improve the standard of private sector homes, working with companies such as Mark Insulation which operates a scheme called Heat Seekers. This aims to identify thermally inefficient homes and assist householders to improve them through various grant schemes.

It also works closely with the “In Touch” home improvement agency and the Energy Saving Trust who both provide services for the council to ensure maximum uptake of the grants and services that the council provides. The Kent Action to Safe Heat (KASH) scheme is a discount scheme to provide cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, solar water heating, energy efficient boilers etc, and grants for persons on low incomes to make their properties decent or remove hazards.

Maidstone was also one of the first councils in the country to introduce a first-time buyers (FTB) grant that helps FTBs with repairs and improvements if they purchase an older property that requires work.

While providing homes is top of the council’s housing priorities its services go beyond bricks and mortar. “We work with a wide range of partners to ensure that we provide a breadth of service that you wouldn’t necessarily find within a small district council,” explains Littlemore. It works with homelessness charity Porchlight to provide an outreach service to street homeless people, as well as a day centre supporting rough sleepers. The partnership started after research showed that rough sleepers in Maidstone were older and more entrenched than elsewhere.

As Littlemore explains: “Although we have been quite successful in getting people off the streets and re-housed, the tenancies break down quite quickly so it is all about trying to stop that revolving door.” The council also has a good reputation for housing ex-offenders and providing work experience for current inmates at a Kent open prison.

While Maidstone has set about its quest to provide more affordable homes with gusto, it is by no means a one trick pony and as its work with the wider community shows, supporting its residents is just as important as putting a roof over their heads.