Disability Housing

The request was partially successful.

Dear Kirklees Borough Council,

Please answer the following questions and provide the requested information:

Within the past 5 years, what research has been undertaken by the Council into the demand for adaptable and accessible housing for those with disabilities, in particularly those with mobility issues, both wheel chair and non-wheel chair bound, and those with limited or no vision? Please provide a copy of the reported findings and conclusions.

Do any new build home projects currently under construction include the building of bungalows and if so what number of these will be available for rent and what number will be available for sale? Of those available for sale, what number are classed as ‘affordable housing’? Please provide details of the number of rooms, the dimensions of rooms and doorways.

What future new build home projects will include the building of bungalows and what number of these will be available for rent and what number will be available for sale? Of those available for sale, what number are ‘affordable housing’? Please provide details of the number of rooms, the dimensions of rooms and doorways.

Do any new build home projects currently under construction include the building of homes other than bungalows that are ‘accessible’ for those with mobility issues, both wheel chair and non-wheel chair bound, and those with limited or no vision? If so please provide details of the property type, including number and dimensions of rooms and doorways, number of floors and how these meet the needs of people with this kind of disability. Also, please state what number of these properties will be available for rent and what number will be available for sale? Of those available for sale, what number are ‘affordable housing’?

What future new build home projects will include the building of homes, other than bungalows, that are ‘accessible’ for those with mobility issues, both wheel chair and non-wheel chair bound, and those with limited and no vision? Please provide details of the property type, including number and dimensions of rooms and doorways, if the properties are on the ground floor and how these properties will meet the needs of people with these kinds of disability. Also, please state what number of these properties will be available for rent and what number will be available for sale? Of those available for sale, what number will be ‘affordable housing’?

Please provide a copy of the Council’s local planning policy/policies relating to the building of homes and meeting the requirements for those with disabilities.

Regards

Peter Hebden

Freedom Info, Kirklees Borough Council

Dear Peter

We confirm receipt of your information request and that we are dealing with this and will respond to you in due course.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004 allow up to 20 working days for responding to information requests.

If you are not content with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Requests for internal reviews should be addressed to the Monitoring Officer, 1st Floor, Civic Centre 3, Market Street, Huddersfield HD1 2EY. Alternatively, you can send an email to: [email address].

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are not content with the outcome of any review you have the right under section 50 of the 2000 Act to apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision as to whether your request for information has been dealt with in accordance with the requirements of the Act. The Information Commissioner’s website is at www.ico.org.uk and gives more information about the role and duties of the Commissioner. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Regards

Information Governance Team
The Democracy Service
Telephone: 01484 221000 (voice activated switchboard – please ask for Freedom of Information)

For more information about how we deal with your personal data, see www.kirklees.gov.uk/privacy

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Freedom Info, Kirklees Borough Council

Dear Mr Hebden

 

FoI 19819 - Disability Housing

 

I am writing in response to your request dated 19 May 2019.  This has been
dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

 

The Council’s response to your specific questions is set out below:

 

1.       Within the past 5 years, what research has been undertaken by the
Council into the demand for adaptable and accessible housing for those
with disabilities, in particularly those with mobility issues, both wheel
chair and non-wheel chair bound, and those with limited or no vision?
Please provide a copy of the reported findings and conclusions.

 

The Council does hold the requested information but considers this is
exempt under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act, because the
information is reasonably accessible to you by other means, because it is
already in the public domain.

 

Section 21 of the Act provides that:

 

(1) Information which is reasonably accessible to the applicant otherwise
than under section 1 is exempt information.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1)—

(a) information may be reasonably accessible to the applicant even though
it is accessible only on payment, and

(b) information is to be taken to be reasonably accessible to the
applicant if it is information which the public authority or any other
person is obliged by or under any enactment to communicate (otherwise than
by making the information available for inspection) to members of the
public on request, whether free of charge or on payment.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (1), information which is held by a
public authority and does not fall within subsection (2)(b) is not to be
regarded as reasonably accessible to the applicant merely because the
information is available from the public authority itself on request,
unless the information is made available in accordance with the
authority’s publication scheme and any payment required is specified in,
or determined in accordance with, the scheme.

 

The following documents are available online. They hold a variety of
analysis and information linked to these areas. They will contain links to
research that they are based upon.

 

·         Kirklees Housing Strategy 2018-2023:
[1]https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/housing...

·         Kirklees [2]Strategic Housing Market Assessment 2016: 
[3]https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/plannin...

·         Kirklees Market Position Statement 2017:
[4]https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/adult-s...

·         Kirklees Joint Strategic Needs Assessment:
[5]http://observatory.kirklees.gov.uk/jsna

 

2.       Do any new build home projects currently under construction
include the building of bungalows and if so what number of these will be
available for rent and what number will be available for sale?  Of those
available for sale, what number are classed as ‘affordable housing’?
Please provide details of the number of rooms, the dimensions of rooms and
doorways.

 

Kirklees Building Control does not hold the detailed information
requested. Where a Building Regulation application is submitted to the
authority we ensure the requirements of Part M are applied, however, not
all developments come through the Authority and many are overseen by a
private companies.

 

The information held by the Local Planning Authority does not record
specific recoverable information on house types designed for specific
disability needs. The work to research information for ongoing
construction projects would initially consist of identifying which
permissions are currently ongoing and further assessing those individual
planning permissions including counting bungalow house types on each
approval plan and assessing layout plans for accessibility for all
residential properties. A planning application may be implemented within 3
years from permission being granted and construction works may continue
for a number of years thereafter although it initially would be
anticipated most developments would be either, not commenced, complete or
ongoing 5 years following the planning permission. However, while there is
no definitive period of time where the Council could be confident in
capturing all ongoing housing development, it would be necessary to
research at least 19,000 planning applications to identify relevant
records over the previous 5 years. This research would exceed 18 hours of
work.

 

3.       What future new build home projects will include the building of
bungalows and what number of these will be available for rent and what
number will be available for sale?  Of those available for sale, what
number are ‘affordable housing’? Please provide details of the number of
rooms, the dimensions of rooms and doorways.

 

It is not possible to confirm such project information in the longer term
given that the major part of this delivery will be market led. The Council
however plans to build 10 bungalows on a site near Huddersfield, details
of which are attached in the link here: 
[6]https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/plannin...
This is a ‘live’ planning application. Room numbers and dimensions can be
read or scaled from the plans. Two of the bungalows are proposed to be
constructed with assistive technology. All these bungalows are proposed as
affordable homes for rent.

 

A longstanding proposal seeks to deliver 300 bungalows in a Continuing
Care Retirement Community at Storthes Hall, Storthes hall lane,
Kirkburton, Huddersfield. This scheme has so far delivered one bungalow.
This will be accompanied by a care homes and central services block.

 

There are many planning applications, revisions, non-material amendments
and discharges of condition covering the scheme and design. The principal
permission is:

2012/60/91503 :
[7]https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/plannin...

 

The Reserved Matters approval and non-material amendments below indicates
a range of unit types approved for the scheme:

·        
[8]https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/plannin...

·        
[9]https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/plannin...

 

The Council seeks to construct affordable bungalows as part of its Small
Affordable Housing Sites Programme, which will involve Registered
Providers constructing around 166 homes, including bungalows by 2021. At
this time, no planning applications have been submitted for these sites.

 

4.       Do any new build home projects currently under construction
include the building of homes other than bungalows that are ‘accessible’
for those with mobility issues, both wheel chair and non-wheel chair
bound, and those with limited or no vision?  If so please provide details
of the property type, including number and dimensions of rooms and
doorways, number of floors and how these meet the needs of people with
this kind of disability. Also, please state what number of these
properties will be available for rent and what number will be available
for sale?  Of those available for sale, what number are ‘affordable
housing’?

 

Kirklees Building Control does not hold the detailed information
requested. Where a Building Regulation application is submitted to the
authority we ensure the requirements of Part M are applied, however, not
all developments come through the Authority and many are overseen by a
private companies.

 

Please also see the response to question 2 above

 

5.       What future new build home projects will include the building of
homes, other than bungalows, that are ‘accessible’ for those with mobility
issues, both wheel chair and non-wheel chair bound, and those with limited
and no vision?  Please provide details of the property type, including
number and dimensions of rooms and doorways, if the properties are on the
ground floor and how these properties will meet the needs of people with
these kinds of disability. Also, please state what number of these
properties will be available for rent and what number will be available
for sale?  Of those available for sale, what number will be ‘affordable
housing’?

 

Kirklees Building Control does not hold the detailed information
requested. Where a Building Regulation application is submitted to the
authority we ensure the requirements of Part M are applied, however, not
all developments come through the Authority and many are overseen by a
private companies.

 

Please also see the response to question 2 above.

 

6.       Please provide a copy of the Council’s local planning
policy/policies relating to the building of homes and meeting the
requirements for those with disabilities.

 

The Local Plan for Kirklees was adopted on 27 February 2019. Here is a
link to the Local Plan web page:
[10]https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/plannin...

 

Specific text and policies are set out in the Local Plan policy document 
in sections on housing and affordability, design, parking, community
facilities - see link below:

[11]https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/plannin...

 

If you are not content with the handling of your request, you have the
right to ask for an internal review.  Requests for internal reviews should
be submitted within 2 months of the date of receipt of the response to
your original request and should be addressed to the Monitoring Officer,
1^st Floor, Civic Centre 3, Market Street, Huddersfield HD1 2EY. 
Alternatively, you can send an email to:
[12][email address]. 

 

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of any review you have the right
under section 50 of the 2000 Act to apply to the Information Commissioner
for a decision as to whether your request for information has been dealt
with in accordance with the requirements of the Act.  The Information
Commissioner’s website is at [13]www.ico.org.uk and gives more information
about the role and duties of the Commissioner.  The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Information Governance Team

The Democracy Service

Telephone: 01484 221000 (voice activated switchboard – please ask for
Freedom of Information)

 

For more information about how we deal with your personal data, see
[14]www.kirklees.gov.uk/privacy

 

 

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References

Visible links
1. https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/housing...
2. https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/plannin...
3. https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/plannin...
4. https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/adult-s...
5. http://observatory.kirklees.gov.uk/jsna
6. https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/plannin...
7. https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/plannin...
8. https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/plannin...
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13. http://www.ico.org.uk/
14. http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/privacy
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