Housing

We will use Wiltshire Council’s powers to tackle Wiltshire’s housing crisis once and for all.

providing new sites to meet Wiltshire’s Housing Target and prioritising brownfield sites.
preventing developers from ‘banking’ land by compulsorily purchasing sites with planning approval which are not built on within 5 years.
reviewing the Council’s levy on new developments (the Community Infrastructure Levy): for instance it is currently 25-35% lower in Calne and Melksham than in the rest of the County.
ensuring that solid infrastructure is built into all new housing developments including schools, health and community facilities.
piloting ‘garden village’ developments, incorporating local employment and services, sustainable transport links and a mix of high quality housing.
showing clearly in the accounts what money is raised from developers through the Community Infrastructure Levy and how it is spent.
making sure that the Council gets developers to deliver their promised community improvements under the S106 scheme.
providing the skilled workforce to deliver housing through training courses and apprenticeships, working in collaboration with colleges and employers and supported by the future Heart of Wessex Strategic Authority.
Implementing Wiltshire Council’s Plan to provide well designed sites in appropriate locations for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers.

building new council homes: we will increase the rate of delivery of these urgently needed homes, aiming to hit 500 new starts per year within four years.
ensuring at least 40% of affordable housing is provided by new housing developments, including social rental and low-cost home ownership.
converting long-term empty properties to socially rented homes, using the Council’s powers of compulsory purchase.
supporting low-cost home ownership schemes to help local people get on the housing ladder: using for instance shared ownership or the First Homes Scheme.
supporting community-led projects to provide affordable and social housing, through for example community land trusts.

requiring all new homes to have solar and be resilient to climate change.
ensuring that the design of new housing developments is innovative and of high quality and that it includes access to green spaces and sustainable transport.
ensuring a mix of housing types in all new housing developments.
enhancing standards of accessibility and adaptability for all new homes.

establishing a Private Tenants’ Charter, detailing expected standards of accommodation and service, and an accreditation scheme - a Register of Approved Landlords.
providing private tenants with advice and support, and following through with enforcement.
investigating and intervening in cases where landlords consistently provide poor housing, to drive up standards.
helping landlords access grants and advice to improve the energy efficiency of their properties.
providing advice and support for forces personnel and their families in private rented accommodation.

providing supported accommodation in each of the four former districts of the Wiltshire Council area, to provide a pathway out of rough sleeping. We will draw on Wiltshire’s share of the £1B of additional funding being made available from central government.
coordinating support for rough sleepers about to move into permanent accommodation through the Housing First
focussing on prevention using the team at Wiltshire Council and charities like Doorway Wiltshire. They work through a framework of early identification, pre-crisis intervention and action to prevent homelessness recurring.