Oxford and Oxfordshire is facing a housing supply crisis which must be urgently addressed with higher densities, improved planning procedures, better infrastructure and a change of policy and review with regards to the surrounding green belt.
These were the overwhelming messages from this morning’s debate hosted by Strutt & Parker, entitled How Should Oxfordshire Plan to meet its Housing Needs? Which saw more than 240 people attend the historic Oxford Union debating chamber in the city.
A severe shortage of sites for residential development, critical infrastructure issues and an unhelpful planning regime were all cited as major issues facing the housing market in the county.
Panellists included Andrew Whittaker, planning director at the Home Builders Federation, Ian Hudspeth, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, Andrew Smith MP, Labour MP for Oxford East and Professor William James Pro-Vice-Chancellor (planning and Resources) at Oxford University. The event was chaired by Strutt & Parker senior partner, Andy Martin.
The HBF’s Whittaker, said: “One of the things we are working is trying to get local authorities to have a realistic discussion with developers about releasing more sites and what those sites are going to deliver each year. At the moment we’re seeing a lot of reluctant local authorities, those local authorities that have been dragged kicking and screaming to the housing provision levels that they know they need to provide. And I can name all of the local authorities in Oxfordshire for this, they need to release enough sites to ensure the market can deliver.
“I’m fed up with talking about the problems, I know what they are. Let’s talk about solutions and be realistic and make sure Oxfordshire politicians face up to those solutions and do what is needed to be done, which is find sites for housing and grant permissions.”
Oxford is the least affordable city in the UK in terms of housing, with residential property values in Oxford surging by £41,700 in the 12 months to May 2015 – nearly four times higher than gains in the wider UK and above the £38,900 house price rise in London, leading to the city facing a housing ‘catastrophe.’
Only 70 new homes were built in the city centre in 2013-14, six of which were affordable. The 2014 Oxfordshire Strategic Housing Market Assessment set a projected need across the county’s five local authorities of around 5,000 new homes per annum from 2011-31. The current rate of delivery falls far below this figure at 1,730 new homes in 2013-14
Of the 163,100 acres of green belt land circa 75% is under agricultural use and more than a fifth is at significant risk of flooding.
Council leader Ian Hudspeth gave a broader view of housing issues across the region. He said that expanding companies have recruitment pressures around housing and travel which is stymying their growth: “We should be thinking about the ‘knowledge spine’ and relocating the hi-tech industry to Bicester to help that town grow in a more sustainable manner than just building distribution sheds.”
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