E9 Annex 2 - North Norfolk Housing Needs Survey

Introduction

1

In 1993 the Council commissioned a major survey of housing needs in the District. Over 7,000 households were interviewed to find out the characteristics of housing in the District; including household incomes, types and sizes, and the demand for new housing over the next five years.

The Sources of Housing Demand

2

The survey forecast that of the District's 37,700 existing households, some 21% intended, or were likely, to move within five years. Furthermore, around 12% said that there were other people living in their households who intended, or were likely, to move to accommodation of their own in the next five years (known as emerging households). Another 1,200 householders believed that their homes required adaptation to enable disabled members of the household to cope more easily.

The Nature of Housing Demand

3

Of the 12,500 households who expressed a demand for housing, 3,300 wished to live outside the District. This reduced the total demand within the District to 9,200.

Housing Needs and AffordabiIity

4

A housing need is considered to exist where an existing house lacks amenities or is overcrowded. Housing need is also generated by emerging households. An analysis of the survey findings using this definition revealed that 3,642 households were estimated to be in housing need.

5

Some of this need could be met by normal market housing. Therefore, taking account of house- holds' tenure preferences, house sizes, housing costs, mortgage and rent potential, it was estimated that some 2,411 affordable homes were required over the next five years to meet housing needs that could not be met by market housing.

Distribution of the Need for Affordable Housing

6

The following schedule gives a breakdown of the requirement for affordable owner-occupied and affordable rented housing at a parish level. Over half of the requirement for affordable owner-occupied housing in the District came from the three parishes of Cromer (25%), Fakenham (15%), and Sheringham (12%). In the case of affordable rented housing, well in excess of half the total requirement came from Cromer (26%), North Walsham (9%), Fakenham (7%), Hoveton (7%) and Sheringham (7%).