“We are stronger when we stand together” – this was the message from South Kesteven District Council Leader Cllr Kelham Cooke as he outlined ambitious plans for growth at a key housing conference.
Speaking at the Larkfleet Conference ‘Meeting the Challenges of House Building Recovery’, he said: “We are stronger when we stand together. Collaboration is key to meeting challenges and conquering adversity. It is also the key to success.”
He explained his determination to meet the challenge of delivering an average of 650 homes a year by 2036: “We have seen significant growth in our housing market, with the support of partners such as Larkfleet. In 2019/20 we topped 729 new housing completions, the highest for more than a decade.
“Our support for key proposed developments in Grantham, including the garden village at Spitalgate, and our partnership with Burghley in Stamford to bring forward a fabulous mixed-use development at St Martin’s Park, are just two examples of exciting potential within our district.
“I am clear that at SKDC we will be continuing on our road to economic recovery, building on relationships and trust with our residents, businesses, and partners, that have been cemented by our shared experience of fighting the spread of Covid-19.”
His full speech was…..
In his summer statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak,
signalled a clear understanding of the importance of a strong housing
sector, and the determination of the Government to support you in your
efforts to help to restart our economy.
I am sure that, like me, if someone had told you a year ago that within 12
months we would face a global pandemic resulting in communities
around the world going into lockdown, and our Government taking
urgent and dramatic measures to keep our economy afloat, you too
would have found it difficult to imagine.
But the unimaginable has happened, and now, we must focus firmly on
how we restart our economy and recover from the impact of Covid-19.
I’m going to be very honest here, there is no silver bullet, and there are
no easy answers. It is now a well-worn phrase, but we are living in
unprecedented times.
However, amid the tragedy of Coronavirus, we have also learned a great
deal, or at least been forced to recognise and embrace what we knew
before, but perhaps took for granted.
For me, the message is clear. We are stronger when we stand together.
Collaboration is key to meeting challenges and conquering adversity. It
is also the key to success.
At the beginning of my leadership – 10 months ago – I said that I wanted
South Kesteven District Council to continue on its journey of dynamic
and sustainable growth; and that I wanted to reach out across political
divides, across sectors, and across local and regional boundaries to
realise and unleash the potential that our district, our county, and our
region has to offer.
That is still my ambition.
In January, we adopted the South Kesteven Local Plan, which set out
the need to deliver an average of 650 homes a year by 2036 – or 14,000
homes within that period. This represents an increase of nearly 25% of
homes in our district. Clearly this is an immense challenge, but it is one
I am determined to meet.
However, we can’t do this alone. As a partner, we bring to the table the
ability to create the right environment within which you can thrive and
prosper. You bring to the table your considerable skills, knowledge, and
expertise to turn the opportunity we create into reality.
Over the past couple of years, we have seen significant growth in our
housing market, with the support of partners such as Larkfleet. In
2019/20 we topped 729 new housing completions, the highest for more
than a decade. The last time this happened was 2007/08 – before the
financial crash.
Our support for key proposed developments in Grantham, including the
garden village at Spitalgate, and our partnership with Burghley in
Stamford to bring forward a fabulous and exemplar mixed-use
development at St Martin’s Park, are just two examples of exciting
potential within our district.
Of course, recent events will have an impact. But even before Covid-19
arrived and changed our world overnight, we were working with partners
in the public and private sectors to identify and unlock potential barriers
to economic and housing growth.
As you know, infrastructure is fundamental to sustainable and dynamic
growth, and it is central to a holistic approach that I am taking right
across the council.
I am determined to ensure that our wider needs on infrastructure,
employment, and the environment are heard at the highest levels
because building sustainable communities means joining hands across
boundary lines.
Infrastructure transcends geographical and political boundaries, whether
we are talking about utilities, health care services, schools and
education, or our road and rail network. None of these issues fall
directly into our responsibilities as a district council. But that does not
prevent us from playing our part in a multi-agency approach to
identifying problems, empowering and implementing solutions.
So as well as leading a number of recent sessions with partners on key
sites to identify barriers and develop an action plan to unlock them, we
have developed a working group of senior officers from SKDC,
Lincolnshire County Council and Homes England with the aim of
securing the relevant external investment needed to unlock growth
within Grantham.
This group – which I hope will expand to include more partners – is
particularly focused on the huge opportunity to deliver 8,000 homes and
a range of commercial developments and community facilities to the
south of Grantham, within Spitalgate Heath Garden Village, and the
Prince William of Gloucester Barracks. Naturally, we also have our
sights set on progressing developments in the north west of the town.
If we are successful in our multi-million-pound bid to the Government’s
Future High Streets Fund, plans to regenerate Grantham town centre
will accelerate even faster, putting Grantham well and truly on the map
as a thriving and prosperous market town that attracts innovation and
success.
Again we would look to you to partner with us in this exciting venture.
But we also know that we must ensure that our systems and processes
are the best they can be to support our bold vision for South Kesteven
District and to enable the environment you need to succeed.
That is why, last year, we created a Special Projects Team, to advance
the progress of major developments. And that is why we have
commissioned a planning review from Cratus, national leaders in
development planning services. Cratus is reviewing the structure and
culture of our current planning system to ensure it reflects our ambitions
and, crucially, supports high-quality engagement with developers.
Alongside the challenge of delivering the right number of new homes, we
also need to tackle the challenge of affordability.
In 2019, while nationally the house price to wage ratio fell, in South
Kesteven it increased. The average house price in our district is 8.4
times the average wage. This is the highest in Lincolnshire and one of
the highest in the East Midlands. It will come as no surprise to any of us
that this is an issue which is particularly acute in the south of the district,
especially in and around Stamford.
Clearly higher house prices are an indication of desirability, and this is to
be welcomed, but I want to ensure that we address the issue of
affordability so that our district is accessible to all.
I am lucky enough to be able to live in the area where I grew up, where
my family and many of my friends still live. It is important for our local
economy, that we provide housing that meets the needs of all our
residents, including our young people, who will hold our district’s future
in their hands. We need to ensure that if they want to stay local, they can
do so.
Affordability is also important for our key workers. Recent events have
shown just how much we all rely on key workers from doctors, nurses
and hospital porters, to teachers, waste operatives and staff in our food
shops and supermarkets. We owe them a debt of gratitude that can
never be fully met, the least we can do is ensure they can make their
homes throughout our district.
We are keen to be proactive in ensuring high quality homes for all
residents, which is why:
• This will be a priority for St. Martin’s Park
• We are in discussions with a number of national and international
organisations who specialise in delivering homes of all tenures
• And why we have a programme to deliver new council housing
across South Kesteven.
September will mark my first anniversary as Leader of South Kesteven
District Council. The following month marks the publication of our
Corporate Plan. It would not be appropriate for me to share details of our
Corporate Plan yet, but I hope it will come as no surprise that housing
for all our residents and economic growth is very much at the forefront of
our ambitions.
I’d like to finish by touching on a political note. Some of you may be
aware that the issue of devolution and local government reorganisation
is well and truly back in the spotlight.
Personally, I am fully supportive of the Government’s direction of travel
and I will be looking carefully at the devolution white paper when it is
published in the autumn. As you would expect, high-level discussions
are taking place and Leaders and chief executives from all of
Lincolnshire’s local authorities are fully engaged in those discussions.
It is not yet clear what the future looks like. However, I am clear that at
SKDC we will be continuing on our road to economic recovery, building
on relationships and trust with our residents, businesses, and partners,
that have been cemented by our shared experience of fighting the
spread of Covid-19.
In doing so, we will build an environment for growth that serves present
communities and future generations. I look forward to working with you
to deliver our ambitious but achievable vision.
Thank you.
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