Redleaf Close, Chiddingstone Causeway - The properties have now reached practical completion (as at 01.04.08) and will be ready for occupation at the beginning of May.

THERE IS STILL ONE THREE-BEDROOM RENTAL UNIT UNALLOCATED.  
THERE IS STILL ONE ONE-BEDROOM SHARED OWNERSHIP UNIT UNALLOCATED.

IF YOU LIVE IN THE PARISH OF CHIDDINGSTONE, AND ARE INTERESTED IN BEING CONSIDERED, PLEASE CALL WEST KENT HOUSING WITHOUT DELAY ON 01732-749400.   THE PARISH COUNCIL HAS BEEN TOLD THAT ALL THE HOUSES SO FAR HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED TO LOCAL PEOPLE, BUT IF NO-ONE FROM THE PARISH COMES FORWARD WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THESE FINAL TWO UNITS, THEN WEST KENT WILL HAVE TO OFFER THEM TO APPLICANTS FROM AN ADJOINING PARISH.   PLEASE DON'T DELAY AS TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! (02.04.08)

There will be an opening ceremony/event at the beginning of May and West Kent will be inviting the Parish Council and other local people as well as local press and SDC members and officers. Janet asked that the Parish Council let her have the names of particular people we would like to be invited.

Rented homes - The West Kent housing options team is still interviewing applicants for the rented properties and will only start making allocations when they have interviewed everybody that applied. The Director of Housing will be managing the allocation process with strict regard to the S106 agreement. Nobody has been given a decision at this point in time although some applicants may have been told that they are likely to have lower priority because they are not actually resident or because they have higher incomes than allowed by the Sevenoaks Council rules by which West Kent have to operate. Most of the houses by the pond are three bed units and some of the applicants have no children and thus would not qualify. There are plenty of applicants from within the parish.

Shared ownership homes - These homes were valued by the District Valuer and initially he determined the values as £245,000 for the two bed unit and £200,000 for the one bed units. Because Janet was so concerned about affordability, she asked the DV to reconsider these values and he agreed to reduce them by 10% to reflect the fact that there are restrictions on resales due to the S106 agreement. There has been a good response to the viewings for the 2 bed house but there has been less demand for the one bedroom property. It seems likely that West Kent still need to seek a buyer for this one. Offers to successful applicants will be made next week once the Director of Housing has reviewed all the applications confirmed since the viewings. Clerk to advertise in the Parish Magazine that there is still a one bedroom house available at £180,000 for people to buy a 35% share. Interested people should ring Barbara Rance on 01732 749466.

General Comment - The water level of the pond has risen this winter and there has been a lot of standing water on the site. Contact with KCC Highways has succeeded in getting them to attend to the drainage out from the pond across the recreation ground and West Kent will be monitoring this and seeking confirmation from them that the drainage is undamaged and cleared. The site drainage for the new houses is to be completed soon and will begin to drain the site properly. It will soon be apparent to observers that the finished site levels are noticeably higher than those at present. Rumours that the houses flood are evidently widespread but are not well founded!

Charcott - Because of the planning delays West Kent have now had the funding withdrawn by the Housing Corporation. West Kent will re-bid for funding next year and are confident that they will obtain this provided they can secure a planning consent. The only issue for the planners has been the need to carry out a survey of adjoining ponds which may prove to be home to protected great crested newts. West Kent now has permission to access two of these ponds and so can commission the survey work for newts and slow worms and re-apply for planning permission. The proposed homes at Charcott are all 2 bed room houses.

Because of the grant funding now falling within 2008-11 programme the houses will have to reach an even higher environmental standard than those at Redleaf Close. This new level Sustainable Code for Homes level 3 is nearing carbon neutral and may involve solar panels, particularly as there is no gas supply. The project will have to be re-entered because of the delays and will not now be able to start for some months.

The Housing Options team are still interviewing all those persons who have expressed an interest in the new development. Once all the interviews have been finalised and all the application forms have been added to the Sevenoaks District Housing Register (SDHR), then a shortlist will be run for each of the empty properties. The persons who are in the most housing need and would be unable to compete in the normal open market for a property as determined by the SDHR, will appear at the top of the shortlist. However, the conditions of the Section 106 will then need to be applied i.e.

• The applicant lives in the Parish or has lived in the Parish for the preceding five years or
• has lived in the Parish in the past for a minimum of five years or
• has close family in the Parish who have lived in the Parish for the preceding five years or
• has employment in the Parish or
• has been forced to move away from the Parish due to lack of suitable accommodation.

An applicant must firstly satisfy the criteria to qualify to join the Sevenoaks District Housing Register and then the section 106 criteria will then be applied.

Chiddingstone Parish Council held a public exhibition on Friday 5th May from 3pm to 8pm in Chiddingstone Causeway Village Hall. The exhibition showed details of the small development of affordable housing proposed for Chiddingstone Causeway. West Kent Housing Association has been chosen to develop the scheme, and has been working closely with the Redleafe Trust, the Parish Council, Sevenoaks District Council Planning Officers and Kent County Council Highways Authority. The scheme has been approved in principle, and parishioners’ views are now sought. Ten units of affordable housing are proposed on the site, which is to the rear of the pond in Chiddingstone Causeway, and will be available on a rental or shared ownership basis. It is hoped that construction will commence in the autumn of this year.

Prospective tenants must satisfy the local criteria by having lived in the parish for at least five years or can demonstrate that they had to move away as house prices were too expensive. The planning application will be subject to a Type 106 Agreement which will restrict occupation to residents primarily who have lived in the Parish or, in the case of no uptake, to residents in adjacent Parishes.

A sum of £625,000 has been secured through the Housing Association under the National Affordable Homes Programme for the development of fourteen units within our Parish. A site for a further four units is being pursued: any suggestions would be welcome.

Please do come along to the exhibition and view the proposed development. The Senior Housing Officer and the Development Manager of West Kent Housing Association, plus members of Chiddingstone Parish Council will be on hand to discuss the scheme and answer questions. This is a fantastic opportunity for the residents of the Chiddingstones, both young and old, who feel under threat of the ever spiralling cost of housing in our area, to secure accommodation within the area in which they belong, at a level of cost that is more realistic to a rural community.