Richmondshire is exceeding the Government’s target for new house builds – but is failing to hit its own target, research shows.
A study reveals that the Government has set a target of just 14 new homes being built in the district every year.
Richmondshire District Council has however set its own higher target of 180 houses a year being completed.
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But figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a collaboration between the BBC and local media, show that in the ten years from 2007/08 to 2016/17 the average number of houses being built in the district was 166.
The research show that, like elsewhere in the country, the number of new houses being built slowed after the financial crash in the 2000s, but appears to be recovering.
These are the figures for the number of new house builds, including conversions, since 2001:
- 2001/02 – 375
- 2002/03 – 226
- 2003/04 – 245
- 2004/05 – 240
- 2005/06 – 231
- 2006/07 – 260
- 2007/08 – 293
- 2008/09 – 184
- 2009/10 – 140
- 2010/11 – 138
- 2011/12 – 192
- 2012/13 – 87
- 2013/14 – 113
- 2014/15 – 121
- 2015/16 – 143
- 2016/17 – 252
Richmondshire exceeds the Government’s target by almost 1,200 per cent – the highest figure in the country.
However, under current policy, the UK Government does not set concrete house-building targets, but rather advises councils to set their own estimates based on their local plans.
In July, the Government published the latest revised version of its NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) – essentially its planning rulebook – where new Housing and Communities Secretary James Brokenshire pledged to shift the focus onto building the right number of quality new homes in the right locations.
There are currently more than 400 applicants on the district social housing waiting list.
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It’s all very well having targets to build \ and house everyone. But great care needs to be taken into consideration about the local infrastructure. Leyburn intends to build another 160 new homes. Currently trying to book an online doctors appointment at Leyburn medical practice is totally dire there are no doctors appointment for 1 month. You cannot see a doctor you have to access the triage service. We have no nhs dentist . I currently pay 73.00 per month for a family of 4 to access Denplan. I think the landowners who sell the land to the property developers and the property developers them selves should be making a large financial contribution towards the immediate nhs facilities and the education in the areas they are developing. After all the wealthy landower will be rich enough to access private medical and education facilities . The real people in the town and local surrounding village will always pay the price and given a less than average access to facilities. Which the rich get even richer. They clearly have a total disregard to the area that has served them well and allowed them them to continue their very cosy nest.