Housing Needs Survey
The purpose of the study was to examine the housing requirements
(needs, aspirations and demands)
for the communities and households of the Borough.
The overall aims of the project were to:-
- Determine the levels of housing supply and demand in the
Borough;
- Support the annual HIP bid and development of the Housing
Strategy;
- Provide robust information at a local level in accordance with
PPG3, to guide the location of new
- provision and support policies in the Local Developmental
Framework;
- Co-ordinate housing and community care strategies.
Key Findings of the Survey
- 87% of households live in accommodation suitable for their
needs. Satisfaction varies from 96%
in the owner occupied (no mortgage) sector to 67% in the private
rented sector;
- The average price of flats and terraced houses are £130,276 and
£155,883 respectively and
affordability is a major issue, particularly for new forming
households;
- 67% cannot afford private rental and home ownership is beyond
the reach of 79% of concealed
households, even though around 35% of them earn over £27,300 pa,
the national average;
- The social stock is now 15.3%, lower than the national average
of 19.3% and provides 372 net
re-let units each year;
- Annually 1,027 affordable housing units are needed, 655 more
than existing re-lets and new supply,
a requirement nearly seven times current delivery levels;
- The retired population will increase by 62% by 2021. There is
an inextricable link between ageing
and disability. Over 57.7% of those with a support need are over
the age of 60, and over half of
these households contain a person with a walking difficulty
(52%).
A summary of the report is availble to download in Adobe PDF
format by selecting the links shown below.
For a full copy of the 2005 Housing Needs Survey, contact David
Jeffrey on 01233 330687 or email your details to david.jeffrey@ashford.gov.uk
who will send you a copy in PDF format (550KB).
If there are anything arising from the survey that you would
like to discuss, please contact David Jeffrey on 01233 330687
or email him at david.jeffrey@ashford.gov.uk.
This webpage was updated on
10/16/2009