Housing growth and improvement action plan (2025-2028)

Introduction

Background

Current work

Action Plan

Introduction

This action plan has been developed by the Strategic Growth team to focus on actions that will support housing growth and improving housing conditions in the District. It builds upon existing strategies and plans including the Worcestershire Housing Strategy 2023-2040 (adopted in July 2023), the Strategic Growth service plan and the recently completed stock condition survey. 

Housing growth is vital to our District, it supports economic growth, contributes to tackling affordability and homelessness issues and can improve public health through the design of healthy and sustainable places to live and whilst new housing is essential we still need to tackle poor quality existing housing stock.

Why take action to improve local housing stock?

• The condition of an individual’s home has a direct impact on their health.
• Quality of housing is also linked to the affordability of that accommodation. Household location stability is improved, local pride and community building enabled and life chances of individuals through education and employment stability are improved.
• Energy efficiency measures in particular drive a reduction in carbon dioxide production and help mitigate climate change.
• Encouraging local activity on housing stock brings local jobs and economic activity in the area. Area focused activities can help bring wider regeneration benefits.

Background

Corporate Plan

The Corporate Plan (2023-2027) has the following priorities for the council;

• Economic Growth and Regeneration
• Securing financial sustainability for services the local communities value
• A clean, safe and green place to live, work and visit

A key value of the council in this context is that we put communities first.

Worcestershire Housing Strategy

The Housing Strategy had four priorities;

• Economic growth and jobs
• Quality and standards
• Health, wellbeing, and inclusion
• Net-zero carbon and sustainability

Stock Condition

The housing stock of the area has been reviewed through a stock condition survey and other data analysis available to the council such as the energy performance certificate register. Wyre Forest has many distinct areas of housing stock that were developed at different times with particular physical characteristics. Those areas also have identifiable distinct socio-economic characteristics as well. For example, the ‘Spennells’ estate built in the 1980s is pre-dominantly owner-occupied, reasonably energy efficient housing stock with more people of working age and less disability issues whereas the ‘Park Street area’ has a much higher level of private rented, poorer quality stock pre 1919, greater unemployment and a mix of ages.  25% of the stock was built before 1939.

The percentage of total housing stock having category 1 hazards is estimated to be 9.6%, around 3,500 dwellings, in line with the west midlands average. In particular the stock has higher levels of excess cold hazard, related to the higher levels of pre 1939 stock and are therefore likely to have higher running costs for residents. The private rented sector is modelled to have nearly 14%, around 1000 households, with a category 1 hazard (where the council has a duty to take action). The most common hazards, that could lead to health issues and accidents or injuries for residents, are excess cold, damp and mould, falls and fire.

Demographics

Across the District there is an underlying context of a higher than average for England population age and higher levels of disability. 19% of the population is over 70 and 47% of households have someone with a life-limiting condition. Levels of disability benefit related claims are slightly higher than the west midlands and national averages. 48% of those under 45 yrs old have reported they are just managing or finding housing costs difficult. 16% or over 7,000 households are in the private rented sector.

Tackling poor stock condition

Stock condition can be improved through a combination of public and private interventions and whole areas can benefit from an Estate Renewal (see appendix one) approach, with physical improvements to an area providing social, economic, environmental and community benefits in a cost-effective way. However, many households do not have the resources available to undertake the work and for some people, an element of public funding is required if available. It is clearly appropriate to target interventions that relate to hazards in the stock that could affect our population, for example falls for the elderly and excess cold for families in the private rented sector that will least be able to afford the excess costs to heat such homes.

Fuel Poverty

Households in fuel poverty need to spend a high proportion of their household income to keep their home at a reasonable temperature. Fuel poverty is affected by three key factors: a household’s income, their fuel costs, and their energy consumption (which in turn can be affected by the energy efficiency of the dwelling). The latest government figures show that in 2023, 15.8% of Wyre Forest households (7,274 households), were classed as being fuel poor. Living in cold, damp homes can exacerbate health conditions, particularly cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses. Worcestershire has slightly higher than average excess winter deaths, the majority of which tend to be caused by diseases of the cardiovascular system (such as stroke and heart attack) and respiratory illness (e.g. influenza). Strategic Growth teams are increasingly working with health and community partners, through the Wyre Forest Collaborative, to help target available grants and support to those living with health conditions exacerbated by cold and damp.

Carbon emissions

Latest government data shows that 30.8% of the Wyre Forest’s carbon emissions come from the domestic sector, i.e. from heating and powering the district’s housing stock. Our domestic emissions have almost halved since the 2005 year baseline, due to factors including improved energy efficiency standards in new housing, retrofitting programmes and a gradual move towards cleaner energy sources. However, the UK still a long way to go to meet its legally binding target for Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Grant funding

1. Warm Homes grant. Currently at expression of interest stage. Likely to be enabling around 80 properties to have energy efficiency measures from 2025 for up to 3 years. Fully funded from Government. Total budget around £1.5M with potential to be extended.
2. Home Repair Assistance. Interest free loans to owner-occupiers to make improvements and repairs. Annual budget £100k, sourced from the Better Care Fund Government funding. Details in the council’s Housing Assistance Policy.
3. Disabled facilities grants. For improvements to property access, safety inside the home and facilities such as level access showers and stairlifts. Helps people stay in their own homes, reducing the chance of falls and hospital admissions. Annual budget circa £1.3M. Details in the council’s Housing Assistance Policy.

Other funding sources:

1. Energy Company Obligation funding – ECO4. This is for energy efficiency improvements for persons on low income, provided by the energy companies. Direct application by eligible households. Scheme is national with no specific local tie in.
2. ECO4 Flex - Part of the eco mechanism, led by county council, local criteria having been set to enable additional energy efficiency grants in the area.
3. Great British Insulation scheme – Central Government scheme with insulation measures for owner-occupiers, in a house council tax band A-D, on certain means-tested benefits, with an EPC D or lower.

Landlord engagement and Housing Enforcement

The Private Sector Housing team work closely with landlords to improve housing stock in a collaborative way. The team hold working groups and landlord forums to engage with landlords and offer advice and assistance in dealing with tenants and maintaining properties. The Council have enforcement powers to use where necessary including the Housing Act 2004 which can be used to bring private rented properties in particular up to a reasonable state of repair. The enforcement approach is set out in the council’s housing enforcement policy HMO enforcement | Wyre Forest District Council. In addition there are the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) which require rented property to reach a minimum standard of E (with a possible move to a minimum C standard by 2030) and for Empty homes and owner-occupied properties in poor condition there are powers under Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and Community Protection Warning and Notices that can be used to help improve the visual look of such properties. Further details are set out in the council’s empty property strategy Empty property strategy | Wyre Forest District Council.

Local Plan (2016 - 2036)

The Councils Local Plan was adopted in April 2022 and had a requirement of 276 homes per annum until 2036. The Local Plans purpose was to ensure sufficient land of the right type was available in the right locations to support economic, social and environmental objectives. The Plan outlines how it will support strong, vibrant and healthy communities whilst also protecting and enhancing the unique natural, built and historic environment. The Strategic Growth team have now commenced work on a review of the Local Plan as the new housing target is 584 homes per annum, subject to adjustment when taking into account the average of the median affordability ratio at the time of adoption of revised Local Plan (and any needs that cannot be met within neighbouring areas).

Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2022 – 2025

The Strategy was developed in conjunction with the other five Local Housing Authorities in the county and focuses work on prevention, intervention and recovery. The strategy focuses on the principal reasons for homelessness and five key groups; single households; complex needs and rough sleepers; families with children; domestic abuse survivors and young people. Work on a new strategy has commenced between five of the Worcestershire Councils.

Current work

Housing Growth

Within the Local Plan there were two key strategic sites identified and these, along with many other sites, have now been brought forward for planning applications and development. Within these sites are many affordable units that have been completed or are underway bringing forward much needed homes for shared ownership and to rent to low income households.

Local Plan policies have been further supported through the development of several Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) and updates to Conservation Area Character Appraisals (CACAs).

The Council works closely with developers, agents and Registered Providers to bring forward sustainable sites that meet housing needs and through engagement with the public such as through consultations and local housing needs surveys.

Improving Housing Conditions

Work on the PRS is co-ordinated across the PSH Team, Housing Advice Team (HAT) and Strategy and Enabling Team as all have interactions with landlords and letting agents. It is important the Council takes a holistic approach to the PRS to sustain affordable, appropriate and quality accommodation. The Strategy and Enabling Team and PSH Team, in particular, focus on increasing the supply of good quality accommodation available for the Council to access through advice on converting to HMOs, property standards and financial assistance

The council have operated a rent bond scheme for a number of years and use this to also engage with landlords and improve property conditions through advice, financial assistance and enforcement. Through this scheme around 17 households are accommodated every year into the private rented sector. In addition, the Homeless Advice Team work with landlords to prevent homelessness and assisted 78 households access alternative private rented sector properties and 51 households to remain in their private rented properties whilst in the prevention or relief duty in 2024/25.

Moving forward the Council needs to effectively utilise the stock condition data and the limited financial resources to tackle poor living conditions and to do this we will prioritise our work to the areas where the council can most effectively and efficiently target resources under grant schemes such as Warm Homes Local Grant (the auto-eligible areas). These are areas which have multiple indices of deprivation or clear additional socio-economic and environmental factors that suggest an area renewal approach is needed, have the poorest quality housing stock and could provide opportunities, across the range of assistance and enforcement activity to deliver the highest percentage of properties able to be improved.

Action Plan 2025-2028