Call for ‘quality’ homes to halt flight of middle class from city

The Hull Development Framework, a planning policy blueprint intended to guide the city’s growth and development over the next 15 years, will go before Hull Council’s Cabinet on Monday, and highlights the make-up and quality of the city’s housing stock as a significant weakness that if improved could be an effective driver of change.

One of Hull’s main challenges is to prevent outward migration and make it more attractive to middle-class families in the East Riding.

At present, 34 per cent of the working age population of the East Riding work in Hull, while 11 per cent of Hull’s work in the East Riding.

As has long been argued, Hull’s image suffers from the constraints imposed on it by its administrative boundary.

The report said: “Hull is administratively separated from its natural suburbs and functional economic area in the surrounding East Riding. This means that statistical analysis highlights the weaknesses of Hull and makes no allowance for the balance that is provided by viewing its wider functional travel-to-work area.

“Many people who might otherwise live in Hull choose to live in the neighbouring authority where there are suburban developments with more semi-detached and detached houses.

“For this reason, the statistics can give an unduly negative impression of Hull.”

To redress the balance, the document outlines plans to build more than 16,000 new homes in Hull by 2026, at an average of 1,088 per year.

A key element of these will be “aspirational” family housing, with the aim of 67 per cent of the properties having at least three bedrooms.

A survey three years ago found that Hull’s housing stock was “skewed” towards small, terraced housing, and recommended the range was widened to make the city more attractive to the “more affluent and aspirational” families who tend to settle in the East Riding.

At least 63 per cent of the new homes should be built on brownfield land at a density of between 30 and 40 properties per hectare.

Another aim is to reduce the number of long-term vacant properties by 100 a year.

Recommended levels of so-called affordable housing among the new developments are also to be strategically targeted at certain areas, with 15 per cent destined for the city centre, Newland and Kingswood areas, 10 per cent for Haworth Park and the western suburbs, and 10 per cent for any other area where 15 or more houses are planned.

The strategy draws on a further survey from 2009 which produced some fascinating insights into city residents’ housing needs and aspirations.

It showed that although people expect to live in Hull, they aspire to live in the East Riding, and aspire to have detached or semi-detached homes with three or four bedrooms, but expect two bedrooms. They also desired “large, airy” rooms.

Commenting on the surveys, the report said: “Both of these showed a clear need for larger, family housing in Hull. Without such homes, it is difficult for Hull to compete to retain families within its administrative boundary.

“It is acknowledged that in some cases it may not be viable to deliver larger homes. However, the council considers that a high level of family housing should be sought over the plan period.

“The lack of variety within the housing stock is an identified weakness and development should be designed in such a way as to correct this deficit. Not to do this would be likely to exacerbate further the social and economic weaknesses of the city.”

Writing in the document’s foreword, council leader Steve Brady said: “We need a plan which helps steer us towards a better city.”