Housing Trust calls for fresh approach to address housing shortfall

The call by the Trust coincides with the publication of The National Housing Federation’s annual ‘Home Truths’ report, which shows that only those with earnings of £53,570 a year in Shropshire, or £40,860 in Telford & Wrekin, are able to afford a typical 80% mortgage.

The report revealed that the mean annual income is just £26,442 in Shropshire against the average house price £234,368. In Telford, the average house costs £178,761 but annual income is £23,722. Additionally, the mean monthly rent for a property in Shropshire in the private sector is £573 and £571 in Telford.

There is also a general lack of housing throughout the county with not enough homes being built annually. In Shropshire, around 564 too few homes were built during a five-year period between 2012 and 2016.

Wayne Gethings, managing director at The Wrekin Housing Trust, believes there is capacity to construct more houses, but it is being stumped by challenges in finding land that is both suitable and affordable, which is why it needs a fresh approach from the local authorities to combat barriers to building.

He said: “There are lots of sites across Shropshire that have planning, but this does not mean they are development-ready.

“If land has previously been used as an industrial site or a waste disposal site, for example, we would have to undertake works to make sure there were no contaminants in the soil or groundwater.

“We also have to consider infrastructure and facilities for the people moving in and may be asked to contribute towards the cost of more schooling or highways provision, or improved drainage.

“Whereas private developers are in a position to meet the additional costs this brings, knowing they will recoup their outlay on house sale profits, housing associations can struggle.”

The Trust says that land is also more expensive where demand for housing is high, so building in popular places like Shrewsbury, or in sought-after rural village locations, becomes unviable due to cost.

The Wrekin Housing Trust has completed 1,225 new homes over the past five years across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, investing £148 million, and a further 500 homes will be completed by 2020 with a further investment of £55 million, but it says still more needs to be done to address the defecit.

This week, the Trust will officially open its latest development in Madeley where five new affordable homes for rent have replaced a dilapidated former training centre.

“We are determined to find a way of providing more homes for individuals and families who would otherwise be priced out of the market,” continues Wayne.

“We are trying to think more creatively about how and where houses are built. Our latest plot at Madeley on the site of the old training centre, for example, may have been overlooked because of its size. But when there is such a gap in the affordable housing market, every property counts.”

Ozelle Damalerio has recently moved into Wendover Mews with her husband and two sons. She said: "We are so happy in the new house, we like are the good sized garden for our children to play in, and all the space we have in the house. The children go to St Mary's Catholic Primary School which is very close, so it's very convenient for us. "

Wayne added: “The local authorities need to do more to help. This could be through the offer of remediation packages to help us prepare land for development or help with the infrastructure funding.”

Kate Warburton, External Affairs Manager for the National Housing Federation, said: “The Government must deliver long-term supply of affordable land. Only then will the right amount of homes, of the right kind, in the right places, be built to meet changing housing needs in the West Midlands.”