Lack of baseline assessment on unpopular housing could frustrate market renewal fund
The government has missed its own deadline for establishing a baseline assessment of low demand and unpopular housing, set 14 months ago in its regeneration blueprint, the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal.

The delay, and subsequent lack of 鈥渧ital鈥� hard facts, could hamper the DTLR鈥檚 case in negotiating with the Treasury for the 拢8bn housing market renewal fund in the summer鈥檚 comprehensive spending review.

And it is likely to anger those who fare badly in the next week鈥檚 Housing Investment Programme allocations for 2002/03, which will, for the first time, include demand indicators.

The delay comes after the DTLR select committee last month slammed the government for 鈥渋gnoring areas at risk鈥� and for not having a 鈥渃lear method or enough funding鈥� to turn around low demand problems by 2010 (Housing Today, 21 March).

It also backed calls for the 拢8bn, 10-year fund.

Commitment 67 in the national strategy, published in January 2001, pledged that a 鈥渂aseline assessment鈥� of demand problems would be ready by March 2002.

The DTLR has told Housing Today it is now unlikely to be ready until at least May.

Aaron Cahill (pictured), policy officer at the National Housing Federation, said: 鈥淟et us hope it is only a few months鈥� delay. If the DTLR is going to take forward the issue of empty homes, then the baseline assessment is an important milestone.

鈥淭he timing isn鈥檛 particularly helpful because the spending review bidding process should be in full flow right now.鈥�

Empty Homes Agency chief executive Jonathan Ellis said: 鈥淭he baseline assessment is vital to the overall picture. The agency鈥檚 concern is how different solutions can be implemented to tackle empty homes in both high and low demand areas.

鈥淲e are keen to put the issue of low demand on the political map and the committee report into empty homes is doing an excellent job at maintaining the momentum.鈥�

Cahill warned there was compelling evidence for the Treasury to provide a fund to prop up ailing housing markets.

鈥淚f Commitment 67 is delayed further, there is no reason to delay the implementation of the housing market renewal fund package that the federation 鈥� and the select committee 鈥� has been calling for,鈥� he explained.

鈥淭he baseline assessment should measure the scale of the problem 鈥� but empty homes and empty streets in the north west and other places are not hard to find.There鈥檚 no shortage of places to start, and hopefully the delay with Commitment 67 won鈥檛 be a problem in that respect.鈥�

A DTLR spokeswoman said finding the right measures and indices for the assessment had proved a 鈥渃omplex task鈥�, and the study was expected at some point this spring.

Source

Housing Today