Housing issues for the future
Housing Construction· The rate of housing construction in Oxfordshire has shown a downward trend since the late 1990s and is not keeping pace with demand. In particular there is an urgent need for low-cost housing. Only 18% of the dwellings built in 1996 to 2002 were classed as affordable. The average Oxfordshire house price increased by 96% from 1999 to 2004. The price of an average semi-detached house in Oxfordshire increased from around four times the average wage in 1995 to seven times the average wage in 2002. The national average ratio meanwhile increased to five.
http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/index/environment/environment_countryside/landuse/structureplan/
http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/index/living/facts.htm
http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/content/planning/local-plan-inquiry/local-plan-inquiry---topic-papers.jsp
· There are currently proposals for 8,500 new homes within South Oxfordshire by 2016, with 5055 of these being built by 2011. http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/sp_draft1.pdf
http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/population_forecasts.pdf
· Didcot, with its excellent rail links, is one of the towns where housing expansion will be concentrated. There are plans for houses to be built to the west of Didcot to meet some of the demand over the next ten years. Land to the northeast and west of the town could provide for continued growth after 2016.
· The population of Didcot could rise well above the 22,700 in 2001 to perhaps 32,000 by 2011 It could increase to about 45,000 if, in addition to the development already planned, a further 3,000 to 4,000 houses were built over the 10 to 15 years after 2016.
· How will Didcot look in the future? Commuter town, centre of high-tech research, or logistics base?
Didcot is changing from the industrial and commuter town of the past and becoming a centre for high-tech research and service companies, and a base for warehousing and distribution.
· Where will the new housing be located? What kind of houses are planned?
Planners expect that some 55% of new Oxfordshire homes should be on previously developed land rather than greenfield sites, and at least 50% should be affordable housing. The average density should be at least 30 dwellings per hectare, reaching 50 in areas of good public transport. (The average density of Oxfordshire properties built in recent years has been just 25 per hectare). See also section modelling future landscapes
· How can the new housing be made more sustainable?
“New housing projects offer an opportunity to introduce a full range of energy, water and waste saving measures that can give financial payback over the life of a property. Current research indicates that a 25% improvement in resource efficiency has a maximum extra capital cost of £800 per home. These improvements deliver savings to residents through reduced utility bills of approximately £138 a year”. (from 2005 speech by Elliot Morley, Govt. Minister for Climate Change and Environment)
