Housing Strategy 2009-2014 - South Derbyshire District Council

South Derbyshire District Council Housing Strategy 2009 – 2014
OVERVIEW OF THE HOUSING STRATEGY
I am pleased to introduce South Derbyshire’s new Housing
Strategy, which sets out our housing priorities for the coming
five years.
We recognise that housing is at the heart of achieving the social
and economic well-being of communities. Hence this housing
strategy sets out our vision for housing across all tenures,
considering both the new and existing supply of housing.
Since publication of our previous housing strategy in 2004 we have worked closely with
our local and regional partners to commission research and gather evidence to help us to
assess both current and future housing needs. With limited resources it is a priority that
we focus on the key issues, which will make a difference to our communities. Therefore in
consultation with our partners we have agreed to focus our resources on addressing the
shortfall in affordable housing and preventing the loss of a home.
Our evidence indicates that there is a shortfall of 400 affordable homes per year. This is a
major challenge for the district. We recognise that to meet this need we must work closely
with all of our partners to build capacity and take a strong strategic housing lead. As one of
the fastest growing districts in England and Wales we have an opportunity to work with our
developing partners to ensure that there is a balance of all housing tenures and property
sizes across our communities to meet the needs of people from all ages and income groups.
We also recognise that with the current economic slowdown more households are likely
to struggle in the future to sustain their home. Hence, we will be focusing on assisting
households to reduce their household expenditure and to get more value out of their spend
on items such as fuel and maintenance costs as well as supporting those that do find
themselves in financial difficulties.
This strategy has been prepared in consultation with our partners. We encourage you to
comment and make suggestions on how we can improve our service delivery to meet both
current and future housing needs.
Councillor John Lemmon
Chair of Housing and Community Services Committee
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