Swaffham: Young families in exodus from town?
Last week I had a little chuckle about the contrary opinions and attitudes of the people of Swaffham.
Since then I have read, in more serious mood, the various reports that are to inform the town council, as it moves towards the publication of a town plan.
This will contain a ten-year strategy for the development of Swaffham.
It is intended to inform the way the council responds, for instance, to the individual planning applications which are considered on a monthly basis. How many new homes should be built, what type of housing should it be? Should we seek to discourage any more people from retiring in the town? Is a bigger priority attracting jobs and making sure there is affordable family housing for younger families for those taking up those jobs?
Describing current conditions, one of the reports says, "for younger people Swaffham and its hinterland ... provide little in terms of quality employment opportunities, particularly if house prices are taken into account." It quotes the National Housing and Planning Unit, which argues that "housing supply needs to increase to bridge the affordability ratio for the poorest 20 per cent of the population", and suggests, that for these the average home costs 7.25 times their pay, and by 2026 this will increase to 8.6 times at current prices.
That is frightening! Even a couple of years ago when the banks were falling over each other to give young people of limited means huge mortgages, they weren't going so far that these people would be able to afford a home. If those figures reflect reality, then surely we need a mass of affordable housing or we'll be losing almost all our young families from the town.
Discussing housing more generally, elsewhere in the reports, it is said that "people felt that housing estates were constructed with little thought for supporting infrastructure such as schools, shops and local amenities". The author added a comment, "The UK planning system needs to be demystified in order to demonstrate to the public that it is reasonably robust."
I am hoping that when it comes, the town plan will demonstrate just that.
The last time I was considering a simple house extension, the demands of the district council's planning and development control offiers appeared to be in direct conflict. I gave up.
Next time, I hope the simplified regime is in place, which was promised by the Government to clear away the red tape, and that I will have a clear strategy, outlined in the Town Plan, to guide me and ensure that I am making an application which will be approved.
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Weather for King's Lynn
Sunday 12 February 2012
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