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Policy and Planning
Please click on the following links for further information about:
City Housing Strategy
Housing Needs Information
Consultation
Investment Options and Priorities - option appraisal exercise
Annual Review
Contact Us
City Housing Strategy
The City Housing Strategy was approved by the Council Executive on 5th March 2002. Click on the following link to download the City Housing Strategy or the City Housing Strategy - Summary .
For further information about the City Housing Strategy, click on the following link to download Supporting Information .
Housing Development now also produce a regular newsletter, Advance - City Housing Strategy Newsletter. Click on the follow link to download the Newsletter - March 2003 .
The latest edition of Advance is now available. Click on the following link to download the Newsletter - April 2004 .
The additional documentation has been divided into four sections:
1.
Housing needs information
2.
Consultation draft and strategy process
3.
Investment Options and Priorities
4.
Annual Review
Not all housing needs information could be presented in the Strategy. Additional research papers can be read be read by clicking on the documents below.
The original housing needs assessment report was produced by independent consultants System 3 and DTZ Pieda in 2000. Click on the following link to read the Housing Needs Assessment Report .
The housing needs assessment was broken down into five areas. At this level a substantial amount of data could be analysed because it was statistically robust. These area profiles can be read by clicking on the following links:
Area Profile - Northwest and Southwest
Information on social renters will be available shortly.
The housing needs assessment report was updated in 2003. No further survey information was obtained, but published data sources were updated. Please click on the following link to download the Housing Needs Assessment Update .
As part of the Supporting People Programme there was an analysis of needs of different client groups across the City. To download a copy of the Executive Summary of this needs assessment click on the following link Supporting People Needs Assessment .
Consultation Draft and Process
Please click on the following link to download a copy of the draft that went to consultation - City Plan . Additional information was provided on Housing Needs. Please click on the following links to find out more information about Housing Needs: Housing Needs - additional information , Planning for Housing in the City and Monitoring Framework .
Investment Options and Priorities - option appraisal exercise
When the Strategy was developed a key part of the work was to look at different ways of achieving our objectives. This was called an option appraisal exercise. Please click on the following link to download a copy of the Option Appraisal Exercise . It was part of the consultation document and was very useful in drawing up the final implementation plan.
A great deal of option work continues for specific topics. This is described below, alongwith the relevant papers.
The City Housing Strategy identified need for households to be able to achieve independent living. The details of how this would be achieved were contained in the supporting people plan. Click on the following link to download a copy of Supporting People Plan - 2003 .
The Strategy cannot provide a great deal of detail about investment priorities in different area of the city, and for different types of housing. However, this work is ongoing, and is described briefly below.The Council is a major landlord in the city, owning around 10% of the total housing. In 2000, the Council commissioned independent consultants to examine options for the future management and ownership of Council housing. This considered costs and benefits over a 30 year period.
Click on the following link to download a copy of the Stock Option Study .This report showed that there was no clear financial logic to transfer housing from the Council to alternative landlords. However, it also showed that the case for retention (i.e. from the Council continuing to own and manage Council houses) required further evidence.This further work has been taken forward through developing a Housing Service Business Plan in consultation with Edinburgh Tenants Federation. The business plan has identified an Edinburgh Standard that all housing would be expected to meet within the first ten years of the business plan. It aims to prove whether the Council can afford to retain the Council housing and maintain and manage it to satisfactory standards. A link will be provided to this consultation document when it is available.
It became clear that non-traditional house types required more comprehensive improvement programmes than the Edinburgh Standard. Separate feasibility work has analysed these Areas of Regeneration Planning. To view the results of the feasibility study click on the following link to download the Areas of Regeneration Planning - Report to Executive 17 June . The next stage is to re-examine the Housing Service business plan in light of new government thinking as found in the Scottish Executive's consultation document - Modernising Scotland's Social Housing. This will require modelling of stock valuation, debt levels, regeneration investment requirement and subsidy for new supply. This work will continue in consultation with tenants, Communities Scotland and Scottish Executive to identify an agreed way forward.
Our response to the Modernising Scotland's Social Housing can be found by clicking on the following link to download the City of Edinburgh Council response to modernising social housing . New affordable housing in Edinburgh is built by Registered Social Landlords with grant funding from Communities Scotland. There is a large under-supply of affordable housing across the city which has meant that we must prioritise which areas should receive funding. This is explained in the Investment Priorities Executive Report and Appendix which was developed in consultation with Communities Scotland. This work is constantly being updated to ensure priorities match current needs.
The need for additional affordable housing to ease current and prevent future labour shortages, has been recognised by private business and public sector organisations. Edinburgh City Vision 'Building a better Edinburgh' highlighted the strategic importance of increasing the supply of affordable housing to maintain the city's economic growth. Please click on the following link to find out more information about Key Workers Housing Paper.
The City Housing Strategy included a detailed implementation plan of 170 actions each with a target output and/or timescale and a lead department or partner organisation. As part of our implementation each action has been given an identified key contact who is asked for regular updates on progress. Most of these contacts are within the Housing Service, but others are located in other Council or partner services. Partnership working is key to implementing the strategy.
The Steering Group for the strategy, which involves customers, partners and providers, committed to reviewing the strategy on an annual basis. The first review was in May 2003. The following papers were provided for review.
Click on the following link to download the Year One Performance Review .
One key part of this review is to consider any changes in the policy environment. Click on the following link to download the Changing Policy Implications Report . This document looks at the implications for the City Housing Strategy of new policy thinking.
Although the City Housing Strategy performance has been generally good, there are specific areas that require further work. Click on the following link to download the Report to the Steering Group Meeting .
The results of the Annual Review Process has established some additional items to be put into the strategy work programme. Click on the following link to download the Annual Review 2003 - Response of Steering Group .
The Strategy shows that we need to continue to research housing needs and solutions. Please click on the following link to download a copy of the Forward Research and Consultancy Programme . The strategy will be reviewed in May 2004.
The second Annual Review meeting was held on 17 June 2004. Click on the following link to download the City Housing Strategy Report to Steering Group June 2004 . Following discussion at the meeting, a number of new actions were added to the Strategy Implementation Plan. Click on the following link to download a copy of the new actions .
A full interim Review of the City Housing Strategy 2002-2007 will take place during 2005. The impact of the actions being taken forward through the Strategy will be measured through our Monitoring and Evaluation Framework - Supporting Information .
The results of the Lothian Housing Needs Assessment and Market Analysis 2005 will inform the Review. The Annual Steering Group meeting will take place in September 2005 after the findings of the Housing Needs Assessment Study become available.
If you'd like to make any comments or suggestions, please contact:
Liz Hawkins, Development Manager
Tel: 0131 529 7087
E-mail:
liz.hawkins@edinburgh.gov.uk
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