Puncknowle & Swyre Parish Council commissioned Dorset Community Action and Dorset Council to carry out a Housing Needs Survey to investigate the current housing situation, identify any housing need and to assess the support for affordable housing in the Parish. The Housing Needs Survey was designed to gather first-hand information from residents of Puncknowle, Swyre & West Bexington and the surrounding hamlets, as well as people with a local connection living elsewhere, to help the Parish and Dorset Council guide future housing and planning strategy in the area.
Housing is a basic human need and plays a critical role in shaping the quality of life for individuals, families and communities. Housing needs can be defined as households whose housing falls below at least one of the normative standards of affordability, suitability and adequacy, which includes issues of overcrowding, poor property condition, underoccupancy, change in medical or physical needs etc.
The accepted standard for lack of affordability is that the household would have to spend at least 30% or more of its before-tax income to access acceptable local housing. It is widely recognised that market housing costs, to buy or to rent, in many areas throughout England, far outstrip local incomes.
Whilst the majority of Dorset Housing Targets will be met within defined development boundaries or on the outskirts of towns and larger villages, there is an opportunity for rural communities, who have a need for affordable housing, to contribute to that target. However, there are strict guidelines, and any potential development must be able to identify a housing need, for people with a local connection, a suitable plot of land and create a design in keeping with the village and to a high standard of energy efficiency etc. Whilst any developer or housing association may be able to satisfy these conditions, it is important for the community, with their local knowledge, to have as much input and influence as possible, either through the Parish Council, , a Neighbourhood Plan or a Community Land Trust. The Housing Needs Survey and Report is the first step.
The Housing Needs Survey for Puncknowle and Swyre was held between 1st – 25th November 2024. There were 134 responses against an estimated 247 households giving a 54% response rate. A community meeting was held on 15th January at Puncknowle Village Hall.
Dorset Council
Housing Needs Survey Puncknowle 2024
Puncknowle Housing Needs A5 advert
Puncknowle Housing Needs Poster
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Housing Needs Survey Leaflet Blue 2
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