The Housing Supply Working Group is led by Minnie Garnier.  They are responsible for understanding existing planning policy (especially TWBC approach), site identification and assessment, local  demand (with particular reference to the Local Housing  Needs Survey, 2015  and Housing Lists held by TWBC),numbers of & types of dwellings (larger family houses, smaller homes, bungalows, flats), affordability, social housing to rent or shared equity.  Issues relating to the extension of smaller dwellings.  For the longer term the formation of a Community Land Trust could be considered alongside models such as Almshouses.

Their most pressing task is to undertake a review of TWBC’s Call for Sites 2017 and discuss with them results and make comparisons to their assessments.  They are also using information gathered during the 2015 Parish Plan, the Housing Needs survey that accompanied that work, alongside feedback from the Village at the Housing workshop held 11 Nov in the Village Hall.

Working Group Members are:
Minnie Garnier
Alastair Pringle	Robin Dalton-Holmes
Richard Stubbings	Tom Cripps
John Kent	Julia Moat

Our Objective: Based upon identified demand for housing, including affordable homes, over the plan period and using tools such as the AONB Management Plan.  We will assess available sites for suitability, develop planning policies to support decision-making, and provide an approach for future prospective sites.

Housing Supply, Design & Built Environment Workshop outputs

	Opportunity	Threat
New Benenden / Garden Village (250 + homes)	Significant developer contributions; village facilities and business / economy; Ability to demand central support services, better landscape and eco benefits / layouts generally and control	Built quickly = sudden impact and problems [of] integration; Environmental impact, hasty influx of population, imbalance and divisions, impact on new village school
New Benenden(s) Lite (70-90 homes)	Capitalise [on] number to use facilities; Social housing, diversity i.e. 1 & 2 bedrooms, GP surgery, dentist and young people, infrastructure, phased development and opportunities for business	Disproportionate impact on rest of village; Find suitable sites, quality of build, disrupt natural environment. More traffic congestion.
Localise development (8-12 homes)	Less impact of sites. Reduction of urbanisation of Benenden and Iden Green;	Encroachment into areas (AONB) and countryside, availability of adjacent facilities, loss of rural character.
Spread it thin (<4 homes)	Local builders could build them / local employment; Redevelopment of redundant farm buildings	Tendency to build large rather than small homes; May get rather unreliable developers.
Homes for older people	Specific design for older people / with disabilities	Empty homes would be a waste for other age groups.
Local needs and key worker housing	Big employers might be able to provide land and strengthen relationships with employers; Local people, nurses, teachers remain. Other people downsize. Families help each other.	Housing at hospital remote from rest of village; Not integrating. People moving away. Loss of countryside.
Standard housing > 10 houses	If less than 20 houses could be built by local builder; Control it through CLT	Could change character of the village; Lose design etc control
Community Land Trust	Local benefactors / employers such as school, hospital or Harmsworth Trust. Very pro. Inspire new talent to get involved	Danger of trustees having vested interests, continuity, risk of conflict and division of where it is located.

Over the summer the Working Group have continued to assess sites, our latest thinking was shared at the Village Exhibition in Sept 2018.  There is more information in the Involving the Village section here and in more recent articles here, and here.