Environment and Regeneration Committee

Tuesday 13 April  2004 at 3.00 pm

Present:  Councillors Blair, Forbes, Fyfe, Gallacher, Hill, McCabe, McCormick (P), Mitchell and Roach.

Chair:  Councillor Fyfe presided. 

In attendance:  Depute Chief Executive, Miss M McKnight (for Director of Legal & Support Services), Head of Housing & Building Services with Mrs B Birrell (Housing Services), Head of Planning Services and Mr A Gerrard (for Head of Property Services).

Apologies:  Provost Rebecchi.

The following paragraph is submitted for information only, having been dealt with under the powers delegated to the Committee.

282

Local Housing Strategy

282

There was submitted a report by the Depute Chief Executive (1) on the requirement for the production of a Local Housing Strategy in terms of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and (2) seeking approval of the final draft of Inverclyde’s Local Housing Strategy 2004-2009 for submission to Communities Scotland by the end of April 2004. 

Mrs Birrell made a presentation on the Local Housing Strategy and the Officers present then answered a number of questions from Members.

(Councillors Mitchell and Blair entered the meeting during consideration of this item of business).

Decided:

(1)      that the Committee approve the final draft of Inverclyde’s Local Housing Strategy 2004-2009 for submission to Communities Scotland by the end of April 2004; and

(2)      that it be remitted to the Head of Housing & Building Services to (i) make representations to Ms Margaret Curran MSP, Minister for Communities, on the Committee’s concerns relative to the lack of availability of affordable housing due to the limitations on powers to prevent right to buy sales of housing stock and on the regulation and control of private sector landlords and (ii) investigate the possibility of obtaining pressured area status for Kilmacolm and of obtaining exemptions from the right to buy for houses provided for persons of pensionable age, both in terms of the 2001 Act.