Most additional homes constructed in York over the next 25 years will be occupied by inward migrants.
Births, deaths and house building click to enlarge
The latest birth rate figures confirm that less than 10,000 homes are required over the next 25 years to meet the expected natural increase in the City’s population.
Labour however plans to build 22,000 (over the next 15 years) most of which will go to people not currently living in the City.
Yesterday developers announced a plan to build 1500 homes at Huntington on a green field location
The Council’s leadership have shot themselves in the foot claiming that with births exceeding deaths in the City new homes will be occupied by existing York residents.
That is clearly not the case.
Who would occupy 22,000 additional homes click to enlarge
Indeed average housing building rates, over the last 10 years, have more than equalled the natural growth in the City’s population.
The increase in population over the last decade has mainly been caused by higher life expectancy, although the population did get a boost as a result of the (unrepeatable) growth in Higher Education provision in the City.
The census returns indicate an average annual increase in the City’s population of 1691 during the last decade.
There is a housing problem in the City but it stems from high rent levels in the private sector. Even after taking into account housing benefit (rent rebates), renting a home in York is relatively expensive.
Potential owner occupiers can still buy 2 bedroomed homes from £120,000.
That should lead the Council to give the top priority to providing more Council and Housing Association rented homes in the City.
NB. The Council have now accepted that their quoted housing waiting list numbers have been wildly exaggerated for the last 2 years.