Upper Salters-Rural Affordable Housing

The eight affordable homes constructed by Marfleet Construction for Hastoe Housing at Upper Salters were all occupied shortly after the builders handed over the site to Hastoe Housing Association in early September 2014.

These homes were built because Stisted Parish Council recognised there was a need for this type of housing in the village to ensure that good quality properties were available to rent or part purchase by those who were unable otherwise to purchase or rent a property on the open market in the village.

To qualify to reside in one of the homes an applicant must be on the Braintree District Council housing register. Priority to occupy one of the homes is given to those on the housing register with a close local connection to the village.

While the properties are all presently occupied and there is no restriction on the length of the tenancies, a resident may at some stage in the future wish to move. When this time comes and there is no knowing when this may come about, anybody who wants to bid for the property will need to be on Braintree’s housing register at the time the property becomes available and is advertised through Gateway to Homechoice as there will not be enough time to progress a new housing register application.

So if you or someone you know may wish to occupy one of the homes in Upper Salters at sometime in the future make sure the name of the person is on Braintree’s housing register and remains as an active applicant. As a vacancy comes in, Hastoe will let the parish council know of this, so that people can then bid on the Gateway to Homechoice scheme.

Stisted Parish Council ensured that these homes would be made available to Stisted people now and in the future.

Priority is given to Stisted residents or those with a close local connection who are on the housing register. All the present occupiers of the homes qualified on this basis so let us keep the homes at Upper Salters for people with a local connection.

To be on the housing register, the initial application must be made online at www.gatewaytohomechoice.org.uk Braintree District Council will then make contact with the applicant to finalise the registration.

If anybody needs further information please contact either Braintree District Council or Hastoe Housing Association (0300 123 2250)

Derek Burrell

 

Rural Affordable Housing –October 2014

 

 

 

The development of eight affordable homes at Upper Salters is now complete and the homes all occupied.

 

This project was conceived four years ago. In October 2010 as a parish council we resolved to undertake a Housing Needs Survey. With the assistance of Moira Gorborz of the Rural Community Council of Essex the survey was carried out. All residents of the parish were afforded an opportunity to respond.

 

The result of the survey demonstrated a demand for seventeen or eighteen affordable homes. As a parish council we agreed to support a project which would provide a development of such housing in the village.

 

As the project progressed we learned that although there might be a need for seventeen or eighteen homes any scheme would only be built to satisfy fifty percent of that need.

 

The proposal was discussed at a further open parish council meeting with the public present. The meeting demonstrated there was a wish for the project to proceed and that it would be supported by the village.

 

The next step was to select a housing association as a partner to manage the project on behalf of Stisted Parish Council. A subcommittee of three parish councillors were tasked with this selection process. First an initial review of housing associations was made and a shortlist of possible candidates drawn up.

 

Searching questions were posed to these housing associations and the answers reviewed. The list of possible partners was reviewed and a new refined shortlist compiled based upon an assessment of the data assimilated.

 

The top three housing associations listed were then approached individually and asked to afford inspections of some of their developments. The subcommittee sallied forth over two days to East Hanningfield Thorrington and Thaxted amongst other places to view completed projects.

 

As a result the subcommittee recommended Hastoe Housing Association might be selected to progress the project and the parish council accepted that recommendation.

 

With Hastoe on board the next task was to identify a site for the housing. Six potential sites were identified. Hastoe commissioned a report from Barker Associates surveyors and architects regarding the merits and otherwise of the six sites. The report was presented to the parish council. Braintree District Council was consulted to ascertain in an informal way their preference.

 

A public drop in meeting was held in August 2011at the village hall. On display were maps of the sites and illustrations what any completed scheme might look like.  Members of the parish were able to make known their opinions to the scheme in general and the sites in particular.

 

One site was less controversial than the others. This was the site in Back Lane adjacent to No.1 Sarcel. Despite the best efforts of the parish council to adopt this as the preferred site it proved impossible for that site to be used. The site selection process and the problems associated with it caused the project to be stalled for an extended time. Eventually the site at the eastern end of Sarcel was selected as the preferred site.

 

Plans were drawn up and prior to submission of the formal planning application to Braintree District Council a further village drop in meeting was arranged by Hastoe. At this meeting in June 2013 plans and elevations of the housing were displayed. Staff from Hastoe were on hand to listen to comments from members of the public and were able to provide advice for those wishing to occupy the housing.

 

The planning application to B.D.C. was successful although it was opposed by some objectors. Construction of the eight homes commenced in January 2014 with an anticipated date of completion set for November 2014. Progress initially was slow because of extremely wet weather. However spring and summer saw much drier conditions so much so that the houses were completed by September of this year.

 

A further open meeting was convened by Hastoe in May 2014 while construction was underway. This meeting was arranged to enable folk to view plans elevations and layout drawings as well affording an opportunity to those attending to obtain information how to apply for the homes.

 

The purpose of this development was to provide new affordable homes for affordable rent and shared ownership for those with a close connection to the village .The parish council has achieved this aim as all the eight properties are occupied by local people. There was no need resort to the cascade provision of the Section 106 agreement to bring in potential occupiers from villages nearby.

 

The whole scheme has taken a little under four years from start to finish. At times it seemed we were going nowhere fast but we are now at the end of the road the time seemed to have passed very quickly.

 

I wish to thank Ulrike Maccariello the Development Manager of Hastoe Housing and her colleagues for their help and guidance provided to the parish council throughout this whole process.

 

I should also place on record our thanks to Barker Associates the surveyors and architects instructed by Hastoe for evaluating the scheme and providing well designed housing.

 

Marfleet Construction should also be congratulated.  They were the contractors who built the properties and managed the site.

 

On the 4September parish councillors had the opportunity to view the properties prior to occupation. Those who attended were all very impressed with the final product.  The properties are attractive and I have no doubt will stand the test of time to provide quality homes in perpetuity for local people or those with a strong local connection.  The aim was and is that the homes would be given in priority to applicants from Stisted.

 

The properties started to be occupied after the 5 September and are all now fully occupied.

 

Hastoe will arrange a formal opening. I understand this will not take place until mid May 2015 after the General Election.

 

Finally, I wish to pass on from Ulrike Maccariello some comments she made to me in a recent email.  She is very pleased with the completed properties which have been finished to a high standard.  She has also expressed her thanks to Stisted Parish Council for a good working partnership and the support that we have provided.  She commented that as a Council we have been pro active and it was a pleasure to deal with us.

 

Derek Burrell

 

 

 

 

To find out more about this topic  please click on the link below to RCCE's website where you will find out all you want to know (and probably more).

http://www.essexrcc.org.uk/Our_work_with_Communities/Affordable_Housing.aspx 

Click on the link below to view the site evaluation report prepared August 2011:

11-08_Report_following_public_consultation_on_site_appraisal_-_Stisted.pdf