Parish Council

VICE-chairman Councillor Paul Williams, standing in for Councillor Neil Morgan, opened the meeting by welcoming Prue Lester, a long-time resident of the village, to the council as a co-opted member. Mike Cramp, rural housing enabler, accompanied by Tracey Perks, who is shortly to take over responsibility for Upwell, gave a presentation to the council and answered questions on the Upwell Housing Needs Survey. Mr Cramp said Norfolk Rural Community Council, in partnership with West Norfolk Borough Council and the Parish Council, undertook a Local Housing Needs Survey in March 2005 to identify if there was a need for affordable housing for local people. The survey was distributed to every household in the parish with a covering letter and pre-paid envelope. eighty-six per cent of households that responded to the survey indicated they would support a small affordable housing development within the parish for local people. Twenty-eight households in Upwell or wishing to return to the parish were found to be in need of affordable housing, including a mixture of families, couples and single people. To help meet the need of these local households, the independent report written by the Norfolk Rural community Council had proposed a development of 12 affordable homes for social rent and shared ownership. If developed, these 12 homes would be kept affordable in perpetuity by the use of a Section 106 Agreement attached to the planning permission that would include a Local Lettings Agreement ensuring local households are always given priority to any vacant home.