The Housing Corporation confirmed its commitment to creating places where people choose to live, with the launch of a publication illustrating the issues in delivering mixed communities. Commissioned jointly with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and English Partnerships, In the Mix presents a summary of evidence about the promotion of communities with mixes of incomes, housing tenures and other social characteristics.
Over the last ten years, research has been carried out in communities with diverse incomes and tenures, to evaluate how mix is being achieved and what effects it can have. Aimed at policy makers and those charged with delivering the vision of mixed communities, In the Mix brings together the best research to date. It also offers lessons for the practical implementation of planned changes to mix and for the management of new and existing mixed developments.
The idea that communities ought to contain a mix of housing types and residents is a key component of the Government's policies on housing and neighbourhoods. This research demonstrates that a variety of types of housing and social mix are being successfully pursued.
The reasons for pursuing mix include:
Peter Dixon, Chairman of the Housing Corporation, said: "Mixed communities are at the very heart of the Housing Corporation's vision and we believe that delivering them is not just about building new homes. The Housing Corporation is working with partners at national, regional and local levels to develop solutions to tackle remaining mono-tenure estates. In the Mix illustrates the Housing Corporation's ambition of ensuring that all homes are part of decent and diverse communities and that no-one should have to live in neighbourhoods affected by concentrations of joblessness [sic], deprivation and dependency. We are delighted to have been able to partner with English Partnerships and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in producing this fascinating publication."
A copy of the publication is available on the Housing Corporation website at www.housingcorp.gov.uk.
No social housing was built in one third of English local authorities during 2004/05, according to new research. A study by the GMB union showed that less than 10% of all the 174,000 houses built or started were for councils or housing associations. The lowest number was in the West Midlands, followed by the South West and the North East. According to the GMB's figures, 24% of all new dwellings started in London were social housing, and in the South East the figure was 11.4%.
The top local authority areas where social housing made up the highest percentage of all new dwelling started in 2004/5 were as follows: Haringey (57.6%), Lewisham (57.6%), Havant (51.3%), Worthing (49.0%), Sutton (46.1%), Barking and Dagenham (42.3%), Forest Heath (42.0%), Hounslow (41.6%), and Brent (39.1%).
New research from the Housing Quality Network finds that 43% of local authority dwellings failed to meet the decent homes standard as at April 2005. This represents a reduction of less than 5% in the total of non-decent homes over a three year period.
Analysis of Local Housing Performance 2004/05.
www.hqnetwork.co.uk
The 4th part of a series of reports from the 2003/04 survey of English housing by the ODPM, includes the stark finding that 45% of social tenants feel that home ownership would be too much of a responsibility.
Housing in England 2003/04.
www.odpm.gov.uk
A new study from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation into attitudes of developers and buyers toward tenure mix found that 90% of homeowners were satisfied with mixed-tenure areas.
More than Tenure Mix: Developer and Purchaser Attitudes to New Housing Estates.
www.jrf.org.uk
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation published the latest edition of Search, which details recent work of the Foundation.
