York to prioritise quantity and quality of council homes
Councillors from the northern-based local authority have recognised they need to provide more affordable properties but not at the expense of tenants needs.
Since the pandemic and the cost-of-living, York City Councillors have been looking for new ways to provide locals with affordable homes. In 2022 the council agreed the second homes owners in York will have to pay double the amount of council tax in a bid to free up vacant properties. Now, the council have identified a number of new opportunities that will further their goal of providing more social homes.
After meeting, councillors agreed selling outdated or unsuitable property or land and investing the capital raised in buying or building more modern, energy-efficient homes would be useful. What’s more, this plan has been created alongside the continued delivery of 600 homes by the Council’s Housing Delivery Programme (HDP).
The HDP was created four years ago and during that time the scheme has provided 164 affordable homes – 56 were newly built and 108 have been bought. Existing building projects will deliver 67 new affordable homes and 12 more will be bought. The next phase of the HDP is to build 100% affordable Passivhaus homes. These are super energy efficient, zero carbon in use homes and 101 will be built at Ordnance Lane, Fishergate and about another 40 at Willow House in Walmgate.
In addition to opportunities being explored on all council owned land, there are some surplus sites which are unsuitable for affordable housing and have therefore been identified for sale on the open market. These include 22 The Avenue in Clifton, and five apartments in The Shambles.
Problems with the current system York are operating lie with the ages of certain homes. Of the 7,400 properties the council currently owns and manages, 140 of them date back to the 20th century making them extremely difficult to adapt and repair to basic living standards. However, these are set to be sold and replaced with more modern homes that are more economical to run.
Councillor Michael Pavlovic, executive member for housing at City of York Council, said: ‘We are committed to providing good quality, affordable housing for residents who struggle to afford market rates in the city where average house prices are now about 11 times the average salary. This is key to our residents’ wellbeing and financial security, as well as meeting our objectives to tackle climate change, health and economic challenges.
‘Our approach demands innovation and partnership with other social housing providers alongside financially supporting our 30-year Housing Revenue Account (HRA) business and investment plans. Looking ahead, we will strengthen and build strategic partnerships around land, funding, and shared objectives. Beyond the city boundaries, a strong partnership with North Yorkshire Council and Registered Providers is vital, as is exploring opportunities with the Combined Authority to boost affordable housing delivery.’
Image: Karl Moran
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