Affordable housing

The lack of affordable housing is a national issue, but the need is even more acute in the Lake District National Park.

So why don't you build more houses?

We do not build houses. But as the organisation responsible for planning in the Lake District National Park, we try to make sure new buildings or conversions are of a type needed by people who live and work locally.

We do this through:

our Local Development Framework and Other policies we use
consulting local communities about their needs. For example we're surveying parishes to find out how many affordable homes are needed and asking the public if they have viable land for development, such as the Windermere Housing Needs survey (Word document)
Asking our Development Control staff to work closely with local housing groups to find out what's needed.
Being involved in Cumbria's 'Fit For Purpose' Housing Strategy. This is the first in the country and makes sure planning, transport and economic development and housing strategies complement each other.

What does 'local occupancy' mean?

This sometimes appears in estate agents' adverts. It means the property can be sold to a person who is employed, about to be employed or was last employed locally. And also people who have lived locally for three years or more.

Useful documents

Housing Provision section of our Core Strategy (PDF) - under Vibrant Communities on page 76
Supplementary Planning Document on Housing Provision (PDF)

What does ‘affordable housing’ mean?

Affordable housing includes social rented, affordable rented and intermediate housing, provided to eligible households whose needs are not met by the market. Affordable housing should:

Meet the needs of eligible households including availability at a cost low enough for them to afford. This is worked out by taking into account local incomes and house prices.
Include provision for the home to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households.

We use legal agreements, known as Section 106’s, to make sure that houses remain affordable not just for the first occupant but for future residents too, or in perpetuity.

Useful documents

For an explanation of the government’s housing strategy and the definitions of affordable housing we use, please look at the National Planning Policy Framework (opens in new window)
This example legal agreement (PDF) shows the restrictions which would be placed on an affordable rental house maintained by a Housing Association in Windermere Parish. The exact wording varies depending on the location and whether a Housing Association is involved.

Facts and figures

Median figures

Average median house price in the National Park was £255,835 (2011)
Average median household income in the National Park in 2011 was £28,857
Based on median figures the income to house price affordability ratio is 8.9:1

Lower quartile figures

These refer to people on low incomes and lower house prices, also known as the '25th percentile'.

House price in the National Park was £185,884
Household income was £16,833
Income to house price affordability ratio is 11:1 (CACI 2011)

General

17.68 per cent of the existing housing stock in the National Park are second homes and/or holiday homes (Census 2001; LDF Technical Report Nos. 2 )
In some areas this is even greater, for example in Coniston 51 per cent of the existing housing stock is either used as a second home and/or holiday home (Coniston Parish Plan)
The percentage of second homes should not be more than 20 per cent as this appears to affect the sustainability of any village. ( An Effective way to sustain our rural communities, Blenkinship and Gibbons, 2003)

Number of dwellings

Since the adoption of the Core Strategy in October 2010 we have granted planning permission for:

33 dwellings for local affordable need
9 agricultural workers' dwellings
64 dwellings with a local occupancy condition

Since April 2008, we have approved 145 dwellings to meet local affordable need. 85 of these have now been built.

What issues affect the Lake District in particular?

Low wage levels leading to a gap between local incomes and house prices
High proportion of second home ownership
An increase in commuter homes and retirement homes
Shortage of land available for development
High price of building land
The need for quality design and use of materials sympathetic to the National Park to fit in with the surrounding environment

I want to build a new house or development. What do I need to know?

Useful documents

Housing Provision section of our Core Strategy (PDF) - under Vibrant Communities on page 76
Supplementary Planning Document on Housing Provision (PDF)

Housing associations

Much of the new housing to be developed over the next 5 years or so is likely to be built by Housing Associations. These associations also have properties to rent or buy a share in. Local associations include (all links open in new window):

Six local authorities and eight housing associations have developed a single system to let Council and housing association homes in Cumbria. More information is available at: Cumbria Choice (opens in new window).