Issue - meetings

Reports attached.

The Director of Housing Services offered his apologies for his being unable to attend the previous meeting of the Sub-Committee.

The Sub-Committee were presented with a number of reports concerning older people’s housing that had previously been agreed by Cabinet. The latest copies of Council magazines – Sheltered Times and At The Heart were also provided in order to show more recent updates.

The older people’s housing strategy had identified an under provision of extra care sheltered housing and of housing for people with dementia. The Council’s existing sheltered housing stock had also been found to have too high a proportion of bed-sit accommodation. Many sheltered housing schemes also did not have lifts or were otherwise not compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act. External communal space such as gardens was also not fit for purpose in some cases.

Five schemes had been selected for regeneration. Maygreen Crescent had not proven popular as a sheltered scheme and the remaining residents would be moved out. The Serena, Solar and Sunrise blocks in South Hornchurch would be redeveloped as an older person’s village with approximately 150 homes. A consultation exercise re this scheme was currently in progress.

It was clarified that a private older person’s development was expected to be built in central Romford. It was also hoped to reprovide sheltered housing on the Royal Jubilee Court site. There were around 52 people currently living at this site but there were also approximately 40 bedsits on site that could not be let out.

Dreywood Court in Gidea Park was considered a very good sheltered housing scheme and it was suggested that the Sub-Committee should undertake a visit to this scheme. This sort of scheme worked on allowing people to remain in a sheltered home as their needs increased over time. This reduced the need for residential care, helping individuals and also saving money for the Council.

It was clarified that, for those properties available on social rents, tenants must have lived in the borough for at least six years. Discretion could be used in cases of, for example, older people facing hardship. People from outside the borough would not be ruled out as tenants but the aim was to have older people occupying the units as this would also increase the availability of family accommodation within Havering.

The Delderfield House scheme would be redeveloped as this was too small to operate as a sheltered unit. The Ravenscourt block would be kept as this had proven popular but the remainder of Dell Court would be demolished and reprovided as older people’s accommodation.

The location of new properties for block housing would depend on where people wished to go and a decant assessment would be carried out for each resident.

It was noted that there were a lot of younger, active older people in sheltered housing units in Havering. People would be guaranteed the right of return to a similar location for each site and efforts would also be made to move friendship groups together.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2