Agenda item

Housing Supply

Minutes:

Pat Hayes (LB Ealing) introduced a report which outlined the key issues relating to increasing the delivery of housing supply in West London and proposed steps to take forward the housing elements of the West London Vision for Growth Action Plan which was approved by the West London Economic Prosperity Board on 8 June 2016.

 

The Board proposed that officers in Wes London boroughs lobby the NHS to request that surplus land is retained for affordable rented accommodation for key workers. 

 

It was noted that:

 

·           Individual boroughs may opposed to the use of Metropolitan Open Land; and

·           Government support would be required in relation to municipal rented housing issues.

 

RESOLVED that the West London Economic Prosperity Board:

 

1.         Endorse the view that a key step towards increasing housing supply is to accelerate the delivery of new housing.

 

2.         Agree that in order to increase and accelerate the delivery of new housing supply, Growth Directors should be authorised to:

 

a)     Establish a Joint Housing Supply Task Force: to be overseen by the Growth Directors Board and coordinated by West London Alliance (WLA) officers, consisting of boroughs, public sector asset managers, registered providers (RPs) and developers, chaired by a third party

 

o   The aim of the Task Force will be to build on previous work that has identified barriers to housing supply, to propose strategies and solutions to accelerate the delivery of new housing supply in West London, and build partnerships that can realise this ambitions.

 

o   Output: to produce a jointly agreed West London proposal for accelerating the delivery of housing supply

 

b)   Establish a West London Skills Hub: In order to support and accelerate the delivery of Local Authorities’ own new build programmes, the WLA will scope, define and, if appropriate, establish, a sub-regional skills hub for professional support on for example, site assembly, viability issues, etc.  This would dovetail with any work at a pan-London level, rather than duplicating it.

 

b)     Consider Out of London Property Purchase options:  to look at bulk purchase options for larger (50+ unit) schemes. Work needs to be done to consider financial models, and to specify individual borough requirements, prior to commissioning the procurement of potential schemes.  It is recommended that WLA will work with potential suppliers to develop a business case and a feasibility study around bulk purchase options, with a view to procuring the first scheme by the end of 2017/18. 

 

d)   Commission a Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA): to publish a West London SHMA by end 2017, aligned with wider work on planning being led by the new West London Chief Planning Officers group. This will provide an evidence base for housing supply and identify the nature of the new build requirement and related infrastructure across the West London sub region, alongside the development of more locally specific SHMAs at borough level.

 

e)    Submit a bid to the One Public Estate (OPE) Programme: to scope and develop a WLA bid to One Public Estate, for resources to:

 

·            Engage with the North West and North Central Health Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) processes, and identify opportunities to develop housing on NHS land, at borough and sub-regional levels.

 

·            Coordinate the identification and mapping of development opportunities on brownfield sites in West London, and review derelict sites, in coordination with the London Land Commission (LLC).

 

·            Progress LLC project to ensure that all publicly owned sites in west London are mapped.

 

·            Establish a single point of contact that public sector land holders can engage with at sub-regional level, to bring forward sites in partnership with boroughs, and ensure that boroughs get first refusal on such sites, and that they are developed as far as possible, in line with local and regional housing requirements. This post would complement any strategic work done at a pan-London level, and there would be a delineation of responsibilities.

 

f)     Work with Pan-London projects:  London Councils is working to initiate a pan-London Collaborative investment vehicle for new supply. Ensure that sub regional working dovetails with and complements this, filling gaps            where necessary.

 

3.         Agree that West London Alliance and participating boroughs develop a Code of Cooperation on out-of-borough housing purchases.

 

Supporting documents: