The Regional Housing Strategy, published on 30 June 2005, sets out the framework for how housing will be provided and funded across the South East from 2006 onwards.

Regional Housing Strategy - 2.48 MB

Consultation on a new draft of the strategy began on 5 February 2007 and ran for 12 weeks.

The Strategy is the work of the Regional Housing Board (RHB). In the South East, the Housing Board includes six members of the Regional Assembly as well as board members from English Partnerships, the Housing Corporation, SEEDA and GOSE.

The document was the result of 18 months of work, building on the interim regional housing strategy, which covered the period 2004-6. Two public consultations were conducted to inform the development of the new strategy.

The strategy sets out the housing priorities for the region from 2006 and calls for significant investment to tackle the shortage of high quality, affordable homes. It also identifies the need to improve the condition of the region's existing housing stock as a key priority.

The strategy proposes:

1. the urgent need to build more affordable homes, with a shift in focus towards increased provision for social rented accommodation
2. continued support, where there is evidence of need, for affordable housing for key workers as defined by Government, but also aiming to meet the needs of other essential workers
3. a geographical focus based on housing need arising from affordability, homelessness and temporary accommodation criteria, and aligned where possible with strategic sites
4. to fund 20% affordable housing in the South East's three designated growth areas: Milton Keynes & Aylesbury Vale, Ashford and Thames Gateway
   
   
5. support for the principle of meeting housing need across sub-regional housing markets
6. funding for new affordable housing in small villages with populations of less than 3,000 at the same levels as in 2004-05 and 2005-06 (720 units across the two years). Affordable housing in small market towns will also be supported in proportion to need, sustainability and capacity.
7. funding allocated for affordable housing on sites that should normally deliver a density of at least 40 dwellings per hectare with significantly higher densities achievable where conditions allow
8. schemes of more than 200 units should be referred to design review at an early stage of development
9. all homes funded by the Board must meet the 'very good' EcoHomes environmental sustainability rating
10. support for local authorities retaining their stock for progress towards meeting the decent homes standard where appropriate
11. support for the renovation of unfit private sector housing by authorities reporting over 2000 unfit homes, to assist meeting decent homes standard
12. to commission research on type, level and nature of unfitness to identify where need is greatest to inform investment for private sector renewal from 2008
13. to develop further options for establishing a portfolio of brownfield land to complement the work of local authorities and partner organisations to increase housing supply and affordability

Also available on this website is an earlier consultation draft.

Work is underway to update the Regional Housing Strategy. This included consultation until August 31 2006 on Prevention, not crisis: investing in the future, a framework for joint working to deliver housing-related support in the South East.

This has fed into the review of the strategy. Consultation on the review began on 5 February 2007 and ended on 27 April.

The strategy will also take into consideration suggestions from the Housing Care and Support Division of the Department of Communities and Local Government on how the RHB and DCLG can work together to ensure the needs of vulnerable people are given appropriate priority.

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Last updated: 01 October 2007