Housing needs survey for the people of Hailsham

Hailsham Community Land Trust (HCLT) is working with the council to review local housing needs by sending the survey to all Hailsham households.

HCLT is a community led organisation that aims to provide low cost, affordable and energy efficient housing.

It will work to make this housing available to the people of Hailsham by working with Hailsham Town Council and Wealden District Council.

The housing needed in Hailsham is smaller and more affordable units, something that Hailsham doesn’t have enough of according to the HCLT.

Hailsham, with a population of around 20,000, is situated in the affluent Wealden area of East Sussex but includes the only three regions in Wealden to fall into the most deprived 20 per cent in England.

It has been calculated it takes 11 times the average salary to buy a house in Wealden - something that means HCLT argue young people from Hailsham are increasingly priced out of the housing market.

HCLT says there are shortages of one and two-bedroom properties in the area. Ninety five per cent of those in need of housing require this type of property, whilst there is only a five per cent demand for three and four-bedroom properties.

HCLT is working with Hailsham Town Council and Wealden District Council to review the local housing need in Hailsham by inviting residents to complete a confidential survey.

From October 23, a yellow postcard is being sent out to around 10,500 homes throughout the Hailsham Town Council area with a link to the online survey.

The survey aims to quantify the need for low cost housing. All households in Hailsham will be invited to take part.

The survey is run by Action in Rural Sussex, an independent charity that has supported communities across East and West Sussex since the 1930s.

It will analyse the findings and present a final report to HCLT, Hailsham Town Council and Wealden District Council early in the new year.

As well as this, HCLT has teamed up with several local attractions including Blackberry Farm, The Brighton i360, and Callenders restaurant to provide a number of prizes for survey entrants.

The lucky winners will be picked at random when the survey results are published in the new year.

David Radtke, chairman of HCLT, said, “We are committed to help provide locally affordable homes for rent or shared equity using sustainable materials and technologies to reduce the cost in use, and with a minimal carbon footprint.

“The vital information the survey will provide, allows us to assess the nature and scale of local housing needs. We can then develop our plans in a manner that addresses the fundamental issues that young people face in finding housing that can genuinely be called affordable.”

Anyone wanting to know more can go to the website www.hailshamclt.com