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Affordable housing
We are committed to providing a range of ways to make housing affordable for local people.
These pages contain a range of information, from work we’re doing to increase the amount of affordable housing, to practical ways of people getting on the housing ladder.
What is affordable housing?
Affordable housing is housing aimed at those who are unable to afford housing on the open market.
The government defines affordable housing as including “social rented” (Council housing or housing association rented housing) or “intermediate housing”, provided to households whose needs are not met by the open market.
Affordable housing can be in the form of low cost rent and intermediate housing, such as New Build Home Buy (also known as Shared Ownership)
Homes are managed by Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) also known as Housing Associations.
To raise awareness of affordable housing, we have produced an information leaflet giving details on how an affordable village housing scheme is developed.
Read the Affordable Housing leaflet .
Click on the links below to find the information you need:
Types of affordable housing
Housing Strategy
Housing Needs Surveys
Housing need research
Housing Associations
Building more affordable housing
Social rented
Usually owned and managed by Housing Associations (Registered Social Landlords or RSL's) this type of housing is offered to those in housing need from a waiting list at rents below market level. This is the most commonly known about form of affordable housing.
Intermediate
This type of housing is housing at rents and prices above social rented but below market prices and rents. This type of housing includes:
- New Build Home Buy (also known as Shared Ownership) where you share the ownership of your home with the RSL. In addition to paying the mortgage, the occupier also pays a surent on the share they do not own. With most Shared Ownership schemes, occupiers are able to purchase 100% share but this is restricted to a maximum of 80% in rural schemes, such as villages, where housing is in even shorter supply
- Open Market HomeBuy is where you part-buy a property and get a loan from the government for the rest.
- Social HomeBuy is where housing association and Local Authority tenants are helped to buy their current home.
If you are interested in applying for low cost home ownership, you should register for housing with the Council and you should also contact East Midlands Home Buy. They are appointed by Government to provide a "one-stop-shop" for all low cost home ownership schemes that cover Northamptonshire. If you are a key worker, a council or housing association tenant, on a local authority waiting list or first time buyer East Midlands Home Buy can help you to buy a home. You can contact East Midlands Home Buy on 0844 892 0112 or find out more and register your interest via the internet at http://www.emhomebuy.org.uk/index.ihtml
The government requires all councils to produce a Housing Strategy. This strategy provides a framework for housing activities and considers issues such as:
- the balance between housing needs and supply
- the local housing market
- local housing conditions
- what local action should be taken
The current housing strategy document for South Northamptonshire Council is Housing Strategy 2005 – 2010.
There are 6 key priorities at the heart of the Strategy which aim to:
- increase the supply of affordable housing
- promote access to housing and tackle homelessness through improved access to information and advice
- maintain and improve condition of housing
- work towards meeting the needs of vulnerable people
- provide a customer focused service for those in housing need
- take a pro-active approach to developing and sustaining safer, warmer and healthier communities
Housing Strategy - aims and objectives.
Should you require further information about the housing strategy please contact the Strategic Housing Team on 01327 322067 or email HousingStrategy@southnorthants.gov.uk
The Strategic Housing Team are responsible for enabling new affordable housing developments.
One of the aims of the Housing Strategy is to increase the supply of affordable housing to meet local need, and South Northamptonshire Council have established a five-year rolling programme to work with Parish Councils’ across the district.
In order to assess the need and supply of affordable housing in the district, the Council assesses villages and measures what housing need is required through a Housing Needs Survey. It is the first step in the process of meeting the affordable housing needs of a rural community.
This survey finds out local residents’ views on an affordable housing development in their area, and what their need for affordable housing is. Surveys are sent to every household in the Parish in order to get an accurate assessment of housing need.
This information is taken into account alongside existing data held on Council records such as turnover of housing and applicants registered for housing on the housing waiting list. This plays an important role in providing th e Council with the types and number of properties that the village requires.
Where there is an identified need for affordable housing, and the local community have indicated their support for a small affordable housing scheme, potential sites will be looked at and assessed for suitability.
See what a housing needs survey looks like. To view approved housing needs survey reports please click on the link below for the relevant parish:
Abthorpe Ashton Aston le Walls Aynho Brafield Blakesley Brackley Blisworth Boddington Bradden Bugbrooke Chacombe Chipping Warden Cosgrove Croughton Culworth Crowfield Deanshanger Denton Evenley Eydon Farthinghoe Greatworth Greens Norton Hackleton Harpole Hartwell Helmdon Kings Sutton Kislingbury Litchborough Little Houghton Marston St Lawrence Middleton Cheney Milton Malsor Nether Heyford Newbottle-Charlton Pattishall Paulerspury Pimlico Potterspury Quinton Roade Silverstone Slapton Stoke Bruerne Syresham Thorpe Mandeville Wappenham Whitfield Whittlebury Yardley Gobion Yardley Hastings
View our housing needs survey programme 2010. Please note that these dates give an indication of when a survey may be carried out and are subject to change. If you need further information please contact the Strategic Housing Team on 01327 322067 or email HousingStrategy@southnorthants.gov.uk
Housing Market Needs Assessment (2004)
South Northamptonshire Council commissioned an assessment of local housing needs looking at issues such as rising house prices and the impact of growth in the district.
Read our Housing Market Needs Assessment.
Housing Market Assessment (2007)
The West Northamptonshire Housing Market Assessment was commissioned to help the local authorities of Daventry, Northampton and South Northamptonshire to understand the dynamics and drivers of their housing market.
Undertaking a Strategic Housing Market Assessment (referred to as ‘HMA’) is a key requirement of the Government’s planning for housing policy. In the future, HMAs will form an important part of the evidence base for developing plans and policies and for responding to changing household requirements.
Read our Housing Market Assessment report.
South Northamptonshire Growth Report (2008)
South Northamptonshire falls into the Milton Keynes South Midlands (MKSM) growth area, which is one of four areas identified by the government for economic and population growth.
The Strategic Housing Team completed research relating to affordable housing and planned growth within the district.
Read the South Northamptonshire Growth Report (2008).
Housing Associations are non-profit making organisations, set up to provide affordable housing to people who cannot afford to buy or rent on the open market.
In spring 2008, all Council homes transferred to a new housing association called South Northants Homes. However there are other Housing Associations (RSL'S) that also work within the District. There is a total Housing Association stock of 3875 homes in South Northamptonshire. The Council holds nomination rights to the majority of Housing Association accommodation.
To achieve consistency in the quality and standard of affordable housing being managed, we have entered into partnership with the following housing associations to manage all new affordable housing delivered in the future within the District. The six preferred RSL management partners are:
East Midlands Housing Association
Northamptonshire Rural Housing Association
Guinness Midsummer Housing Association
The establishment of preferred RSL management partners will be beneficial to South Northamptonshire in various ways, including:
- orensuring these RSLs have a long term commitment to the area
- Iproviding strong partnership arrangements to ensure the Council can nominate people to occupy new and existing affordable housing
- a proven record in excellent housing management service
- assisting the Council in the delivery of corporate priorities
South Northamptonshire Council can nominate tenants to housing association houses from our housing register. To be considered for one of these homes you need to apply to go on to our housing register.
Find out more about the housing register and how to apply. For more information about housing associations in South Northamptonshire, contact us on 01327 322067 or email HousingStrategy@southnorthants.gov.uk
Building more affordable housing
The Council works with Housing Associations as partners to deliver new affordable housing for rent and shared ownership. We are pleased to have obtained £3.1m Housing Corporation funding to help with these developments for the period 2008-2011.
Developments being built
Please see details below of developments of affordable housing that have either started, or are about to start in the district. Allocation to these schemes will be made through South Northamptonshire Council, so if you are interested in joining the waiting list or know someone else who is, please contact Housing Options on 01327 322396 or email housingoptions@southnorthants.gov.uk.
Woodcote Park, Silverstone - this development of 46 properties on Towcester Road, will be a mixture of market and affordable housing, of which 18 will be affordable homes. Work began on site in Spetember 2009. They are being built in partnership with Grand Union Housing Group and will comprise 14 properties available for social rent and 4 for either shared ownership (New Build Home Buy) or Rent to HomeBuy. They will be offered to applicants on the Council's Housing waiting list who have a strong local connection to Silverstone. It is anticipated that some will be ready in early autumn 2010, with the remainder becoming available in Spring 2011.
Walkerpack, Roade - this development of 21 properties on the old Walkerpack site on Stratford Road is being built in partnership with Guinness Midsummer Housing Association. There will be a mixture of one, two and three bedroom homes, some of which will be available for social rent and others for shared ownership (New Build HomeBuy). They will be offered to applicants on the Council's waiting list who have a strong local connection to Roade. The first phase of the development has just begun and is due for completion in Spring 2011.
Recently completed developments
Cross Yard, Hartwell - a Housing Need Survey was undertaken in Hartwell in 2006. Findings of this survey showed a signifcant need and indicated that a development in the village here would help meet this need. 16 affordable homes were completed in 2008. Ten of these homes were for social rent and six properties were for Shared Ownership (part rent, part buy). In partnership with Guinness Midsummer Housing Association all homes for rent and Shared Ownership have now been allocated to people with a local connection to Hartwell. Hartwell development photo.
College Place, Brackley - this development of 5 two bedroom flats for rent was completed in October 2008 and the properties have all been allocated to local people. The properties are being managed by Paradigm Housing Association.
Winston Crescent, Brackley - a new development of supported living in Brackley . Winston Crescent, has seven flats and one staff flat and is designed especially for people with learning disabilities. South Northamptonshire Council has been working in partnership with Social Services, Supporting People and Northamptonshire County Council for some time to develop a scheme that would meet the needs of this group of people.
Bugbrooke Road, Gayton - four properties were completed in March 2009 by Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association (BPHA). There were two 2 bed houses and one 3 bed house for rent. One of the 3 bed houses was available for shared ownership. Handover of the rented properties to Northamptonshire Rural Housing Association who are managing the properties took place in April. To be eligible for these properties applicants had to have a local connection to Gayton. Gayton development photo.
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Scheme 1: Deanshanger - a development of sixteen properties completed in summer 2008. There was one 2 bed house and one 3 bed house for rent which have been allocated to local people. There were also 3 shared ownership properties. All the properties are managed by Guinness Midsummer Housing Association.
Scheme 2 : Deanshanger - a development of ten properties completed in autumn 2008. There were five 2 bed houses available for rent and four 2 bed houses available for shared ownership, allocated to local people. All the properties are managed by Guinness Midsummer Housing Association.