wembley-plan-app (small) , item 9. PDF 8 MB - Meetings, agendas ...

Wembley Area Action Plan - Proposed Submission Version81Housing 7WEM 23Wheelchair Housing and SupportedHousing10% of new housing in Wembley should bedesigned to be wheelchair accessible or easilyadaptable for residents who are wheelchairusers.Loss of existing supported housing schemesin Wembley will be resisted.The council will support proposals for smallersupported housing schemes for morespecialist groups that are designed to provideself contained accommodation and communalfacilities, and which are sufficiently flexible toaccommodate a range of support and careservices so they can be adapted to meetdifferent needs as priorities change over time.Private Rent Sector7.29 Brent has one of the largest private rentsectors in London, with approximately 20,000dwellings representing over a fifth of the privatesector stock. The private rented sector marketconsists mainly of assured shorthold tenancylettings that meet demand from a diverse group ofhouseholds and offers a great deal of choice dueto its high turnover, thus enabling tenants to live inthe best quality housing that they can afford,allowing for constraints over location. The privaterented sector is an essential resource with anumber of constituent niche markets that meet avariety of housing needs, from high income rentersin corporate lettings, economically active peopleunable to access home ownership opportunities,homeless families receiving housing benefit and intemporary accommodation, to slum rentals at thebottom of the sector where landlords accommodateoften vulnerable households in extremely poorquality properties.7.30 Effective partnership with landlords underprivate sector leasing arrangements has beencentral to the council’s work in tacklinghomelessness, in terms of both temporary andpermanent solutions. At the same time, the sectoris dominated by smaller landlords and, while manyof these provide a good service to tenants, thesector still contains some of the worst conditionsand poorest standards of management. In essence,the priorities are to facilitate access and sustainoccupation in the private rented sector whileimproving supply on the one side and enforcingstandards on the other.7.31 Wembley is a town centre location thatrepresents an opportunity to deliver a new type ofprivate rented accommodation. The council is keento see private rented accommodation delivered ata scale that can support more professional and lessfragmented management, as well as greaterstability and longer rental periods. The councilrecognises the financial challenges of delivering anew supply of high quality private rented sectoraccommodation and will,therefore, seek to stimulategreater institutional investment in private rentedaccommodation that can offer a quality housingoption accessible to people on low incomes, butalso form part of a truly mixed housing solutionopen to people in a wide range of circumstances.The council is prepared to take a flexible approachto housing unit size mix and the proportion ofaffordable housing on viability grounds, where it isassured that such provision can deliver highstandards of accommodation and housingmanagement at affordable rents, and thatappropriate long term financial and nominationsarrangements can be secured.WEM 24Private Rented SectorThe council will encourage the developmentof purpose-built private rented sectoraccommodation where dwellings are ofdemonstrably good design and there aresuitable long term financial, management andnominations arrangements. Where suchaccommodation can be delivered, the councilwill be flexible on housing unit size mix andthe proportion of affordable housing, if thataccommodation, or a reasonable proportionthereof, can be made available at or belowlocal housing allowance levels.