Question
I was concerned to see the plans for the conversion of another office block on the Toutley Road industrial estate into residential housing. I've walked round the existing office conversion on the same estate. The problems with this form of housing are immediately obvious from a quick visit. These are not purpose built apartments constructed as housing - it's an office block divided into living spaces. Residents' privacy is compromised, there is no garden space and the block is isolated on an industrial estate. This is going to magnify the effects of any anti-social behaviour which starts in the flats on the rest of those living there.
I understand that we have a housing crisis nationally, and that this development is a roof over people's heads, but this is not the kind of suitable permanent housing which will help build strong communities. It's not somewhere that people will choose to settle down and raise a family. In fact, similar developments elsewhere have been linked to increases in anti-social behaviour and crime.
What steps is the Council talking to ensure that Wokingham is building housing which is suitable for the long term?
Minutes:
Question
I was concerned to see the plans for the conversion of another office block on the Toutley Road industrial estate into residential housing. I've walked round the existing office conversion on the same estate. The problems with this form of housing are immediately obvious from a quick visit. These are not purpose built apartments constructed as housing - it's an office block divided into living spaces. Residents' privacy is compromised, there is no garden space and the block is isolated on an industrial estate. This is going to magnify the effects of any anti-social behaviour which starts in the flats on the rest of those living there.
I understand that we have a housing crisis nationally, and that this development is a roof over people's heads, but this is not the kind of suitable permanent housing which will help build strong communities. It's not somewhere that people will choose to settle down and raise a family. In fact, similar developments elsewhere have been linked to increases in anti-social behaviour and crime.
What steps is the Council talking to ensure that Wokingham is building housing which is suitable for the long term?
Answer
I also share your concerns. Unfortunately as you are probably aware not all new developments, and especially where we are changing from office blocks and you take Toutley Road as a good example. they do not need planning permission. Under the national guidance there is what is referred to as a “prior approval” but the only areas that the Council can look at, even if you referred it to the Planning Committee it would be the same, are areas such as flooding, contamination, highways and the impacts of noise from nearby commercial premises on the intended occupiers of the development. The Council is not allowed to attend and look at other matters, such as quality of accommodation in terms of size and availability of amenity space. I agree with you that it is not right but that is national planning guidance.
Sometimes where we are in control, and I think most of us would agree that what we have built in Wokingham is to a very high standard as we have seen through the New Homes Survey that we commission every year and through the feedback that we had through the local update that we have done for the Local Plan. But it is a national issue and it is not just happening in Wokingham, I think Reading is suffering from it much more than Wokingham, because they have got a lot more offices that are being converted but there is nothing that we can do about it as it currently stands under the national planning policy.
Supplementary Question
As long as we fail to build enough affordable housing, we will continue to see lower earners being pushed into this kind of unsuitable housing, which doesn’t even provide CIL money for the community.
There was no affordable housing built on the Elms Field development, there is none planned for the Carnival Pool site. There are a few key worker homes on Peach Place which have no parking and are below the standards we would expect from a private developer. Phoenix Place replaced existing affordable homes with newer affordable homes; but fewer of them. The existence of very low quality housing in Wokingham demonstrates that we are not providing enough homes for our lower earners.
What are the Council’s plans for ensuring that enough homes are built for low and medium-earner families?
Supplementary Answer
I think there are a lot of questions there and if Councillor Kaiser was here I think he would give you a much better answer than I would on housing and what his plans are with our housing companies etc.
We always try to get 35% affordable in any development. Sometimes that is not achievable and we try to get other areas through commuted sums. But in the specifics I think we need to give you a much more detailed answer and the best way to do that is if I get John Kaiser to give you a written answer.