Plymouth needs more homes for growing population, says new report

Plymouth’s population is growing and the city needs thousands of homes to be built according to a key report being published on Tuesday 15 October.

The _{Strategic Housing Market Needs Assessment} analyses changes over the last ten years and sets out predictions for population increases and the number of houses needed up to 2031.

It shows that between 2001 and 2011, there was an increase of 15,600 people living in Plymouth to 256,600. There is a spike in the 20 plus age group with young people moving into the city from neighbouring areas for jobs, employment and housing and there were more births than deaths so the population is growing organically. The projections also highlight there is an ageing population and predict that by 2031 there will be a 30 per cent increase in over 65s.

On average around 500 houses have been built in the city each year but the report predicts this is insufficient to meet the future needs of the population. The report predicts the population will reach 300,000 people by 2031 and 22,000 more homes will be needed. Plymouth City Council’s plans now aim to deliver 1,000 new homes a year.

Councillor Mark Lowry, Cabinet member for finance said: “The population is growing and this is good news, people are being attracted to the city and the jobs and education it can offer. We are going through the transition from a dockyard town to a university city and with a changing population demographic we need to ensure the housing serves the city’s needs.

“We need quality student accommodation, the halls type of managed housing close to campus as the university attracts growing numbers. More student accommodation will also free up family homes for rent and we do need more family housing. We also need more executive housing, more affordable housing and more lifetime homes for an expanding older population.”

A lack of affordable housing is a known challenge and the report shows that in Plymouth the cost of a below average price house is 6.3 times more than the salary of someone earning below average wages. However, elsewhere in the region this affordability issue is far worse, in the South Hams this figure is 10, in West Devon it is 8.75 and in Cornwall it is 9.08.

Cllr Lowry added: “We are working with registered social housing providers to tackle the issue of providing more affordable homes. In the coming months we will be bringing forward our plan to deliver the 1000 homes a year and that housing will be a mix of type and tenure. We will be looking at a considerable number of options including the release of more Council land for development and incentives for developers.”

The Strategic Housing Market Needs Assessment is available to view at http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/homepage/planningpolicy/ldf.htm.