Rochdale Council Housing Strategy Consultation

Overview

Future housing priorities

Rochdale Council is currently in the process of working with Oldham Council to develop a joint three year strategic housing plan to improve the quality and quantity of and access to housing across both boroughs. 

There have been many recent achievements in the housing sector within Rochdale, these include:

• The building of over 1,000 new homes across the borough in the last three years of which 457 were affordable homes.
• In 2010/11 the Councils Mortgage Rescue Scheme assisted 241 households experiencing difficulties with their mortgage repayments and prevented them from becoming homeless.
• In the last three years over 528 empty homes have been brought back into use.
• Over £5.5 million was allocated in 2010/11 through the Governments Kickstart Initiative to fund the development of the 153 properties on housing schemes within the borough.
• Through the Housing Market Renewal Programme the Council acquired 16 properties and demolished 90 properties in 2010/11 to make way for new homes. In addition 215 private sector homes benefited from improvements funded through the HMR programme and the Council.
• In 2010/11 the Homes Improvement Agency completed 11,701 jobs through the Handyperson Scheme and 352 major disabled adaptations.
• Over the last three years investment of £8.27 million has been provided through the Warm Front scheme for the delivery of 16,104 energy efficiency measures to 5,347 households across the borough.
• In 2010/11 the Council’s Homelessness Service helped prevent 1,444 households from potentially becoming homeless.

We are developing the strategic housing plan at a time of significant change for both housing and the wider public sector in general. Planning future service delivery around austerity measures and a housing market which is slowing down presents a massive challenge for the Council. It is against this background that we have identified our priorities to improve housing in Rochdale.

The housing priorities we have identified are based around the three themes of quality, quantity and improving the housing offer which are set out in the Greater Manchester Housing Strategy. The priorities will also facilitate the achievement of the priorities of people, place, and prosperity in the Councils Sustainable Community Strategy.

We would welcome your views on our proposed housing priorities and you can do this by completing the online consultation.