Purpose

To provide members with an overview of Welsh Government’s
LHMA process and to seek feedback on the draft LHMA report.

Content

RESOLVED –

 

(i)         That
the adoption of the Local Housing Market Assessment be supported, in order to
comply with the legal duty for local authorities to have an up to date Local
Housing Market Assessment in place.

 

(ii)        That
the draft Local Housing Market Assessment as detailed in Appendix 1 to report
COH/42/24 be noted.

 

(iii)       That
the use of the 10 year migration variant be approved as the most up to date
data available for estimating future housing need.

 

(iv)      That
the Local Housing Market Assessment be adopted by Wrexham County Borough
Council as its revised Local Housing Assessment, and that it be subsequently
submitted to Welsh Government and published on the Council’s website.

 

(v)       That
a review of the document be carried out within 2 years and a revised version be
presented to Executive Board.

 

Reasons for decisions

 

(i)        Agreeing to adopt the draft LHMA will
ensure that the Council complies with the legal requirement under section 8 of
the Housing Act 1985, to review the level of housing need in the County Borough
on a periodic basis.

 

(ii)       An updated assessment of local housing
need will provide the Council’s Planning Officers with the information needed
to inform further revisions of the Council’s current Local Development Plan, in
terms of the types of housing that are needed and the areas where need is most
pressing.

 

(iii)      It will enable officers in the Housing
Department, who are engaged in development work, to make best use of resources
such as Social Housing Grant by providing a sound basis for the Council’s new build
and buyback programmes.

 

(iv)      It will, furthermore, ensure that there is
revised housing need data that can be used to inform discussions with Housing
Associations when they are looking to carry out new build projects or purchase
properties off current sites.

 

(v)       Executive Board’s agreement to using the
10 year migration variant as the basis for estimating future demand, will
ensure that the LHMA aligns with the Council’s aspirations for economic growth
as set out in strategic documents such as the Council Plan.

 

(vi)      By
reviewing the document within 2 years and presenting a revised LHMA to
Executive Board, members will have an overview of how the housing situation is
changing in the County Borough, over time.