District Council press release – Chris White is not responsible for its content

Council listens to residents’ concerns and agrees to fund ten units of temporary housing in St Albans

St Albans City and District Council is making money available to address the need for more accommodation for people finding themselves temporarily homeless.

The intention is to use this money to help fund a proposed housing scheme in Church Crescent, St Albans.  A grant from the Council of £500k is being earmarked should the scheme go ahead. A further annual revenue grant of up to £63k will also be made available.  The Council’s annual contribution can be funded from money currently spent on hotel or bed and breakfast accommodation.

Hightown Praetorian and Churches Housing Association wants to develop St Claires, a former registered care home in Church Crescent.  Hightown is a charitable housing association.  The proposed housing scheme will be used for people who are waiting for their housing application to be determined or who have been accepted for permanent rehousing.  A stay of around six months would be typical for people waiting for permanent accommodation to become available.  The proposed scheme will have a concierge worker on shift every night and a Housing Support Worker on shift in the daytime.

This City centre property, which is owned by Hightown, has been used previously as a registered care home for ten people with mental health issues. The proposal came about because existing residents were being resettled leaving Hightown with an empty building.

Hightown previously proposed a development with a minimum of sixteen housing units required to make the scheme viable in financial terms.  The charity was in the process of consulting on the proposed scheme before submitting a planning application.  However, local residents raised concerns, in particular that this density was too high.

The Council has therefore stepped in to offer additional funding that means a reduced density of ten units is possible.  As self-contained units, the standard of accommodation compares favourably with the previous proposal which included shared bathrooms.

The former sixteen unit proposal would have been classified as a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO).  The new proposals are to develop ten separate self-contained units, which would not be an HMO*.

The Council expects Hightown to prepare a planning application and submit it in the near future.

Following a public meeting on 21 November 2014, discussions have been held to identify an appropriate way forward that take into account local concerns.

Cllr Julian Daly, Leader of St Albans City and District Council said: “Applications for temporary housing have increased dramatically over the last 18 months, rising from 78 in July 2013 to 120 in December 2014. The Council, and its housing association partners, need to find suitable accommodation for people who are in housing need locally. We recognise that any of us can find we need temporary housing.

“We are proposing to provide funding so that a reduced density of accommodation at St Claires is possible.  The money will bridge the funding gap for the charitable housing association concerned.”

A webcast of the residents’ meeting on 21 November can be seen at: http://www.stalbans.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/156123