Has Cllr Kelcher satisfactorily answered a question on affordable housing in Brent?

 The public are able to ask members of the Brent Cabinet questions at Full Council. The question and written answer are published on the Agenda and the member of the public is allowed a follow-up question at the meeting. Full Council is on November 16th.

  

Question from Stephen Thomas to Councillor Matt Kelcher (Cabinet Member for Regeneration & Planning):

 

Can the Cabinet Member for Regeneration & Planning advise what they are doing to address the shortfall and backlog in affordable housing supply across the borough given the level of units being delivered by private developers across Alperton, including the Beresford Avenue and Grand Union developments and all around Wembley Stadium and increase in use of buy to let and student accommodation and properties then being used as Air B&B. These developments are not felt to offer real benefit to local residents whilst also placing additional strain on local infrastructure and already stretched community services.

 

Response from Cllr Kelcher:

 

This administration is very proud of Brent’s record in delivering new homes for our local communities. Brent was recently named the UK’s number one council housebuilder by Inside Housing magazine, with 557 homes completed last year and a further 1,360 in the pipeline. Our wider approach to housebuilding supports a range of homes to meet different needs:

 

We have delivered 155 homes in 26/27 up to Q1 and we expect to deliver a further 300+ homes this financial year including in areas of need such as Alperton, Church End and Kilburn;
 
From Q1 2026-27 to date (including the number of planning permissions granted with affordable homes and across different the tenure types) – 201 LAR homes [London Affordable Rent], 61 Social Rent Homes and 10 Shared Ownership Homes
 
A range of homes for market sale.

 

A borough as diverse as Brent needs all these types of housing. Social housing is essential for residents on our waiting list, while other affordable tenures help households whose needs are not met by the market. We also need homes for the majority of our residents whose incomes place them above the eligibility thresholds for social or other affordable housing. Market-sale homes therefore also have a role in meeting local need and benefiting Brent residents.

Brent zoom meeting on government's planning 'reforms' 5pm tonight - details

Cllr Kelcher, Chair of Brent Planning Committee, has written to local groups and resident associations about a meeting scheduled for 5pm this evening regarding a campaign against the proposed new planning proposals.  Wembley Matters called for a cross-party campaign about this in August:

Cross party campaign needed to oppose Jenrick's assault on the community's already limited say on new developments

From Cllr Kelcher

I have huge concerns about the government’s radical plans to reform the local planning system through their new planning white paper Planning for the future.
 
These plans could:
1) Reduce local input and the opportunities for local people to have their say in planning decisions with a massive reduction in the powers of Planning Committees.
2) Create, what the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has called, “a new generation of slums” with an increase to permitted development rights. 
3) Reduce the amount of affordable housing we can build in Brent as developments of up to 40 or 50 units will no longer be compelled to provide some affordable units.
4) Introduce automatic permission for people in houses to add two storeys to their property without planning permission, completely changing the character of our local neighbourhoods.

Therefore, as Brent’s Chair of Planning, I have joined with the Vice Chair of Planning, and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, to organise an information and engagement session for local residents associations and interested groups.
 
We will be discussing the plan, and how we can work together as one borough to stand up against the reforms that will be most harmful to Brent.

 1700-1800, 27/10/2020 

 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84058770390?pwd=S0tROVppZzVyY0hzcG53ODF4bGswUT09  

 Meeting ID: 840 5877 0390 Passcode: 091709