Consultation on a housing strategy for Bury

Residents are being asked for their views on what kind of homes Bury will need for people of all ages and for future generations.

A consultation period has started on a strategy which sets out the scale of the challenge on housing issues: from driving up the quality of housing to improving health and wellbeing, affordability, attracting and retaining skills, and climate change.

It will also reflect the council’s priorities regarding economic growth and climate change, and its legal duties around homelessness, private sector housing and the safeguarding of vulnerable children and adults.

The strategy is aligned with wider plans to identify sufficient land to meet the needs of a growing population and ensure that new housing is accompanied by the infrastructure necessary to create successful and vibrant neighbourhoods.

Once approved, the housing strategy will be an important document that will help shape the types of housing that will be delivered on new developments.

Councillor Clare Cummins, cabinet member for housing services, said: “With our partners, we need to focus our collective resources on achieving sustainable solutions that ensure the delivery of sufficient high-quality housing and housing support of the right types, in the right places, and at the right times, to best meet the current and future needs of our communities.

“This is a wide-ranging strategy that impacts on the lives of all Bury residents in one way or another, be that directly through the provision of accommodation and services or indirectly through improvements in the public realm, environment and health. The strategy is therefore a key part of our Bury 2030 masterplan.”

The outcomes sought from the housing strategy include:

• More homes to meet the needs of a growing population.
• More affordable housing.
• A broader range of housing tenures and tailored support for people to access a suitable home
• Good quality, healthy homes and places.
• Support to help people live well in the community.
• Targeted investment to improve health through housing.
• To focus on the future of each town centre and neighbourhoods.
• To eliminate rough sleeping by 2025 – by preventing homelessness, creating more affordable new homes, supporting accessibility and ‘enabling support’ towards independence.
• Rapid movement towards low carbon housing

How to take part in the consultation: closing date 22 February

To read the housing strategy and make comments, go to https://www.bury.gov.uk/housingstrategyconsultation

If you have any questions or need assistance completing the surveys, please make contact as follows.

• Phone: 0161 253 5353

• Email: housingstrategy.consultation@bury.gov.uk

• Write to: Bury Draft Housing Strategy Consultation, Town Hall, Knowsley Street, Bury BL9 0SW.

ENDS

Press release issued: 2 December 2020.