| |
|
Housing survey, August / September 2007, initial findings On this page you can read the initial findings of a Housing survey conducted across North East Somerset during August and September 2007, to help ensure the views of North East Somerset residents can be fully taken into account by the government as part of its Housing Green Paper. Said Dan Norris: " I will be passing to the Minister not just the overall survey findings, but each and every additional comment that was added by local residents. It is clear from the quality of these responses that local residents have devoted a great deal of time to considering this key issue, whether or not they are immediately affected. A number of thoughtful suggestions have been added to the questionnaire, and several imaginative ideas for helping to solve our country's housing problems have been offered." CONTENTS: 6. NEIGHBOURHOODS AND SERVICES
a) Are you or a family member struggling to buy your first home? Yes 19% No 81% b) Do you think that moving up the housing ladder is out of your reach? Yes 57% No 43% c) Should public land be released for more housing to be built? Yes 54% No 46% d) How important is it to you for the government to tackle: Problems faced by
first-time buyers Homelessness &
poor quality housing Lack of affordable
housing
a) It has been suggested
that due to the risk of flooding, new homes should not be built on floodplains.
Do you think most homes should be built away from these areas or that
more defences should be built for those at greatest risk? (Tick one) Built on floodplains,
with the cost of defences paid by taxpayers 10% b) Who should make
the decision on where housing developments are finally placed? (Tick one) Residents in areas affected 43% Councils 37% Government 20%
a) In building new
homes, roughly what percentage should be for sale, for rent or for part-buy,
part-rent schemes? 'Homes to buy' ranked by a large majority as the highest percentage, with part-buy, part-rent schemes the lowest b) One of the options
we have when building new homes is the type of homes they are. The government
is suggesting neighbourhoods with a mixture of homes such as 2 bedroom
houses, 3 bedroom houses and some flats. Do you agree with this approach? Yes 90% No 6% Don't know 4% c) Should local councils
be able to stop developments if they do not agree on the type of housing
that is desired? For example, if a council wants all council homes, should
they be allowed to refuse a development of affordable homes for first
time buyers? Yes, they have
local interests in mind 47%
a) The government
has said it will continue to preserve green belt land. Do you think this
is a good idea? Yes 89% No 8% Don't know 3% b) There are proposals
that we develop "Eco towns" where the housing is energy efficient
and built to a carbon neutral standard. Do you think there should be more
or fewer eco towns? (Tick one) It's a good idea
to have eco towns, we should build more 34% c) Should all new
housing now be built to a standard of energy efficiency even if it costs
more to do so? Yes 88% No 8% Don't
know 4% If yes, who should bear this cost? Taxpayers 14% Buyers/Owners 86%
a) The government
already assists first time buyers through various schemes such as shared
equity or key worker priority schemes. Is enough being done to promote
these initiatives? Yes 18% No 51% Don't know 31% b) The government
is setting out a proposal where first time buyers will be able to get
stable mortgages in the form of a bond for the long term of 20-25 years.
Do you feel this should be means tested? Means tested for
those in most need of assistance 46%
6. NEIGHBOURHOODS AND SERVICES a) In building new homes, what is the order of importance of the following that should be considered when looking on the impact of new homes in an area? (Please rank 1 to 6) Results averaged,
lowest figure as most important:
|