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24th July 2007
COMMENT ON HOUSING GREEN PAPER
By Stephanie Murphy, Two Castles Housing Association

Stephanie Murphy, Chief Executive of Two Castles Housing Association, said: “We absolutely welcome the Prime Minister’s plans to build three million new homes by 2020 with up to 70,000 of those being social housing.

“Sustaining communities is at the heart of our agenda and we welcome anything that encourages the local authorities to free up land for affordable housing and streamline the planning system. However, there would be financial implications for many housing associations that need to be addressed.

“We pride ourselves on our strength in innovation in terms of how we operate and have already forged partnerships with leading property investment companies such as Assettrust and other partners to privately fund new developments.

“We do not rely solely on public money and utilise our own funding capacity whenever possible. However, we have a guarded reaction to the suggestion of borrowing greater sums of money as this represents a greater risk. We have to balance the needs of our existing residents when considering future investments.

“Whilst regeneration of urban areas is a key priority for us, we are well known for our rural expertise and welcome the government’s recognition that rural communities face particular pressures. We are especially pleased that the government wants to ensure more social and shared ownership housing is delivered in villages in line with the Affordable Rural Housing Commission proposal.

“The Government has also announced that through necessity, houses will need to continue to be built on flood plains as many of our cities and towns such as Newcastle, Carlisle and surrounding areas are built next to rivers. We’ve had situations of extreme flooding previously in Carlisle and we acknowledge that great care needs to be taken when building in such areas. We are keen to work alongside local authorities, the Environment Agency and shareholders to ensure than any Two Castles development is sustainable for the long-term and isn’t at risk from future flooding.

“There will be cost implications for housing associations as additional flood prevention measures can escalate building costs. If we are expected to build more, build to a greater standard, and build on flood plains, then we would like to see help from the government with regards to additional funding.

“We will continue working with policy makers and decision makers at both regional and national levels in a bid to contribute to the sustainable communities, and to deliver more affordable homes in the communities where they are most needed.”

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