Plymouth’s innovative Plan for Homes programme has now delivered more than 7,500 new homes across the city over the past nine years.
The Plan for Homes details the Council's priorities for ensuring that the city has the housing to tackle the local effects of the national housing crisis as well as cater for the city's growth agenda.
Now in its third incarnation, the successes of the programme are set to be debated by the Council’s Growth and Infrastructure Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday before the fourth version of the plan goes to Cabinet in March.
“When you sit back and look at what we’ve achieved since the initial plan was drawn up, it’s really quite something,” said Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet member for Housing, Communities and Cooperative Development.
“By working to a set strategy, and by working in partnership with a number of organisations, both locally and nationally, we’ve been able to make things happen; move things along and crucially, make a real difference to residents by delivering the housing needed by so many.”
The purpose of the Plan for Homes is to support a variety of new and affordable housing to tackle housing needs and homelessness whilst addressing existing poor housing conditions.
It also sets out a clear ambition for the future of housing in the city by intervening in the market to provide the homes Plymouth people need whilst supporting the delivery of the Joint Local Plan housing numbers.
Successes so far have included:
• 7,581 homes delivered in all of which 1,980 are affordable
• 48 Council sites released to developers for new homes
• Partnered on the regeneration of Devonport, North Prospect and Barne Barton
• 385 long term empty homes brought back into use
• Specific schemes for certain groups including service veterans, adults with Learning Disabilities, Extra Care for older persons.
• Supported innovative affordable homeownership schemes like RentPlus.
• Helped numerous self and customer build projects to succeed in building their own house.
• Close to completing on the first Council-built housing project for 40 years.
While the first three plans have been a success, there is still more work to be done to ensure that Plymouth has the homes it needs over the next few years.
“It would be very easy to pat ourselves on the back for job well done but as it is well documented, we’re in the middle of a housing crisis,” added Councillor Penberthy.
“We have to kick on from here and the new Plan for Homes 4 will do exactly that.
“Much will be the same – you don’t change a winning team – but we do have to adapt which is why a focus on more energy efficient homes will be a key pillar, along with a goal to drive up standards in the private rental sector and reduce the impacts of homelessness.
“Plan for Homes has been a great success and we must ensure that it continues to thrive over the next five years.”
Plan for Homes 4 is set to be presented at the meeting of the Cabinet on Monday 11 March.