Regulation 19 Rutland Local Plan
Housing Mix
What will the policy do?
The policy sets out the requirements for housing development of ten or more homes to provide a mix of dwelling types, sizes and tenures to meet the housing needs of the County as evidenced in the Housing Market Assessment. This will ensure that an appropriate balance of new homes is delivered.
Policy H4 - Meeting all housing needs Comment
Development proposals for sites of 10 or more dwellings should provide a range of house types, sizes, and tenures to meet the general and specialist needs for housing in Rutland in line with Table 4 below, as identified in the latest Housing Market Assessment or other up-to-date evidence of local housing need.
New housing proposals shall also:
- enable older people to promote, secure and sustain their independence in a home appropriate to their circumstances, through the provision of specialist housing (as defined in the Glossary) where needed across all tenures in sustainable locations. New housing proposals shall take account of meeting identified needs for a growing ageing population by providing appropriate accommodation, including extra care and other forms of supported housing; and
- enable the provision of high-quality family housing that meets changing household needs and responds to market demand; and
- enable the provision of high quality and affordable housing for all and accommodation that considers specialist needs and ensures that people can chose to live close to their families and work opportunities within the County; and
- increase choice in the housing market, including new build private sector rented accommodation (Build to Rent) across both rural and urban parts of the County.
Why is this policy needed?
As well as clearly defining the number of new homes needed within the County, it is also important that there is a clear understanding of the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community so that an appropriate range of housing is required in particular locations, reflecting local demand can be planned for.
The Housing Market Assessment (HMA) 2023 (Figure 5.5) shows that Rutland has an existing housing stock which is biased towards larger housing within both owner- occupied and private rented tenures. Affordable housing for rent is spread more evenly across one-, two- and three-bedroom properties, although many of these are dedicated for older or physically disabled people which reduces drastically the number of one-bedroom dwellings available for younger single adults or childless couples. Modelling of household projections provides evidence about the mix of size and type of housing which will be required to meet the identified need. Housing provision in Rutland should be monitored against the following broad mix of market and affordable housing provision:
Table 4 - Housing mix
|
Proposed size mix of housing by tenure – Rutland |
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|
Market |
Affordable home ownership |
Affordable housing (rented) |
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|
General needs |
Older persons |
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|
1-bedroom |
5-10% |
15-20% |
20-25% |
55-60% |
|
2-bedrooms |
30-35% |
40-45% |
40-45% |
40-45% |
|
3-bedrooms |
35-40% |
30-35% |
25-30% |
|
|
4+-bedrooms |
20-25% |
5-10% |
5-10% |
|
Source: HMA 2023 (Chapter 5: Key Messages)
The HMA 2023 (paragraph 41) identifies that the number of people in Rutland aged 65+ is expected to increase by 24% during the period 2023 to 2033, leading to a need for specialist housing for older people. (However, as discussed below, there is not a clear need for more care bedspaces.) Given that the number of older people is expected to increase in the future and that the number of older single person households is expected to increase this would suggest (if occupancy patterns remain the same) that there will be a notable demand for smaller housing from the ageing population. In addition to homes for an ageing population, the Council's Older People's Accommodation Market Position Statement 2021 projects that existing residential and nursing care beds, taking account of vacant beds and a recently opened home, will be sufficient until around 2043 (paragraph 4.6). These figures will be revised as and when new evidence from the Council's own research comes forward.
The specific requirements for dwelling mix on sites proposed for allocation can be found at policies H1.1-H1.4 and E1.1- E1.6 This will include provision for an appropriate mix of housing size, type, tenure, and design to meet the different needs arising from population and household changes demonstrated in the HMA. The development principles included in these policies will guide the form, layout, dwelling mix, and infrastructure needs of each site.
It may not always be feasible to provide a mix of housing types, particularly on smaller sites but larger sites (of 10 or more dwellings) will be expected to include a range of housing types, sizes and tenures to ensure that the needs of all sectors of the community are met, including newly forming households, young couples and expanding households, as well as more specialist needs such as the elderly, learning disability and care leavers and those with physical disabilities.
Neighbourhood plans can also play an important role in identifying where there is a particular need for a specific type, size, or tenure of housing development. Where they have evidence to support such needs, they may choose to include a specific housing mix policy or allocate site or sites for specific types of development within their neighbourhood plan.
Supporting Evidence
Housing Market Assessment (August 2023).
Older Person's Accommodation Market Position Statement (July 2021)
Market Sustainability Plan 2023
