Decision details

Cabinet considered a report which provided an update for the year 2018/19 on the progress made against the Affordable Homes Programme, in delivering 250 new affordable homes; and on the anticipated delivery for 2019/20 together with the indicative affordable homes delivery programme through to 2024.  

Significant progress had been made in 2018/19 with 250 new affordable homes being delivered by 31 March 2019.  Plans had also been developed for future years within the programme with a number of schemes starting on site to work towards delivering a further 200 homes in 2019/20.

A full delivery schedule for 2018/19 was provided in Appendix 1 to the report.

The 250 new homes that had been delivered included 26 new Council owned homes, 10 homes delivered by registered provider partners and 191 homes by developers through Section 106 Town and Country Planning Act 1990 agreements. A further 8 affordable homes had been delivered through work with private landlords and the National Landlord Association to target long term empty private rented homes and bring them back into use as affordable properties.

The delivery programme for 2019/20 indicated that 200 new affordable homes would be delivered in North Tyneside, a breakdown of these was provided in Appendix 2 to the report.  This would bring the total number of homes delivered in the first 6 years of the programme to 1,580.  An indicative affordable homes delivery programme for 2014-2024 was also set out in the report.

The first 5 years of the Affordable Homes Programme had seen the Authority directly build 151 new affordable homes and 363 sheltered homes as part of the North Tyneside Living project. A number of opportunities for further development using land held within the Authority’s Housing Revenue Account (HRA) had been identified.  Cabinet was requested to approve the development by the Authority of the HRA sites identified below and authorise the undertaking of all necessary work to bring forward the development of the sites as identified. 

•           Land at Murton West

•           The Cedars, Collingwood Ward 

•           Bawtry Court, Battle Hill

•           Edwin Grove, Howdon

•           Wellington Avenue, Wellfield 

Further details of those developments were given in the report.

Cabinet considered the following decision options: to accept the recommendations set out in paragraph 1.2 of the report, or alternatively, to not approve the recommendations.

Resolved that (1) the progress to date of the Affordable Homes Programme be noted;

(2) in relation to the development of the Housing Revenue Account sites:

(a)       the development by the Authority of the Housing Revenue Account sites identified within section 1.5.4 of the report be approved; and

(b)       the Head of Environment, Housing and Leisure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing, Head of Resources and Head of Law and Governance, be authorised to undertake all necessary work to bring forward the development of the sites as identified in section 1.5.4 of the report.

(Reason for decision: It will support progress on delivering the Elected Mayor and Cabinet’s commitment to deliver more quality affordable homes.)