Councillor Penberthy (Cabinet Member for Housing, Cooperative Development and Communities)introduced the report and highlighted the following points about Plan for Homes 4: 

a)     Since its launch in November 2013, more than 1,100 new homes had been built on Council-owned sites, under Plan for Homes; 

b)    Over 64% of the 1,100 new homes had been affordable; 

c)     The ambition was to deliver a minimum of 5,000 new homes in Plymouth over 5 years; 

d)    Increased housing supply, with a focus on both social and affordable home ownership; 
 

e)     Improved the private rented sector to ensure homes were decent, safe, and secure; 
 

f)      Bringing empty homes back into use to maximise existing stock; 
 

g)     Enhanced the condition and energy efficiency of homes across all tenures, retrofitting and delivering low-carbon new homes; 
 

h)    Supported estate regeneration and renewal to replace obsolete housing; 
 

i)      Reduced homelessness and reliance on temporary accommodation and expanded supported and specialist housing options; 
 

j)      Maximised inward investment through partnership working, including with Homes England; 
 

k)     Maintained flexibility and innovation in response to emerging housing challenges; 

l)      There were more than 8,000 households in Plymouth awaiting homes for rent at an affordable price; 

m)   Plan for Homes 4 had: 
 

                                  i.         Delivered 96 new affordable homes, including 42 for social rent; 
 

                                ii.         Returned 41 long-term empty homes to occupation; 
 

                               iii.         Worked with Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) to refurbish and occupy 86 ex-MOD family homes; 
 

                               iv.         Completed 25 veteran self-build homes at Stirling House, with a third project underway; 
 

                                v.         Secured £18.44 million in government funding for 144 homes and a new skills hub at the former Civic Centre; 
 

                               vi.         Formed a long-term partnership with Homes England to deliver 10,000 new homes in the city centre; 
 

                              vii.         Achieved a 66% reduction in families in bed and breakfast accommodation; 
 

                            viii.         Improved 1,029 dwellings and resolved 216 Category 1 hazards, issued 101 formal notices and 11 civil penalties to non-compliant landlords; 
 

                               ix.         Delivered 424 home adaptations and supported 280 residents to live independently; 
 

                                x.         Completed energy efficiency improvements on 234 existing homes; 
 

                               xi.         Engaged with developers to unblock 4,517 homes with planning permission; 
 

                             xii.         Developed a pipeline of future housing sites and a new market recovery plan; 
 

                            xiii.         Identified new surplus Council-owned sites for housing; 
 

                            xiv.         Working with investors and developers to establish a build-to-rent offer in Plymouth, that would capitalise the long-term investment in the dockyard and for people coming into Plymouth for dockyard employment; 
 

                             xv.         Preparing for the Renters’ Rights Bill; 
 

                            xvi.         Participated in the rollout of the advanced zoning pilot for the new heat network, focusing on Plymouth City Centre; 

n)    The action plan reported across all 10 of the Plan for Homes 4 initiatives and was RAG-rated with commentary; 

o)    The report would be presented to the Natural Infrastructure and Growth Scrutiny Panel, and every 6 month a detailed report on homelessness was presented to the Housing and Community Services Scrutiny Panel; 

p)    Continued  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8