Stisted, Essex new Hastoe homes

Public consultation event

We held a Public Consultation on Tuesday 12 November 2024 in Stisted Village Hall. The Development Team at Hastoe presented a proposed affordable housing layout and answered questions on the day. Representatives from Braintree District Council and our Housing Team at Hastoe attended to assist those people interested in one of the new homes.

This page presents all the information from the in-person consultation. An online consultation for those unable to make the event will be held for one month to allow feedback on the proposed affordable housing layout.

Housing need

In June 2020 Stisted Parish Council carried out a Housing Survey with Rural Community Council of Essex to determine the level of need for housing across all tenure types in the parish. The aim of this survey was to understand the existing and future needs for Stisted residents including family members (not necessarily living in Stisted) and other members of the household. The study was also designed to understand Stisted’s current housing stock and whether this is affordable to local people.

The key findings of the report was from 87 completed surveys (31% return rate), and 9 households responded with a current need. Our aim for the consultation is to gather more up-to-date information so we can ensure our proposal meets these needs.

Our proposal

We are proposing to build 8 new homes on the site. All the homes will be affordable with a mix of affordable rent and shared ownership homes. The homes range from one-bed bungalows & flats, 2 bed bungalows and three-bedroom houses.

We will be constructing the homes to our Hastoe New Build Standard. This is a fabric first approach going above the 2025 Building Regulation standards by 20%, including Air Source Heat Pumps and electric charging points.

The in-person consultation held on Tuesday 12 November 2024 was to discuss the outline scheme and to consult with the community on our site so we can take this into account as we progress the development into a Planning Application.

Local connections

We are proposing to develop on a site outside of the village boundary under the Rural Exception Site Planning Policy. A Rural Exception Site can only be delivered if a local housing need can be identified within the local area and any new homes will be restricted to prioritise the residents/former residents of Stisted.

The Affordable Dwellings for Rent are to be allocated to a person (nominated by the Council in line with its Allocation Policy) who is considered by them or it to be in need of such accommodation and unable to compete in the normal open market for property. Before nominating an applicant the Council will be satisfied that the applicant:

(a) Has continuously lived in Stisted for the preceding 3/5 years, OR

(b) Has continuously had a principal place of work in Stisted for the preceding 3/5 years, OR

(c) Has parents or close family (i.e. mother, father, son or daughter) who are over 18 and who have lived in Stisted for the preceding 3/5 years.

If there are no persons who qualify under the above the Affordable Dwelling shall be allocated to person nominated by the Council who:

(a) Has continuously lived within 10 miles of the Site for the preceding 3/5 years, OR

(b) Has continuously had a place of work within 10 miles of the Site for the preceding 3/5 years, OR

(c) Has parents or close family (i.e. mother, father, son or daughter) who are over 18 and who have lived within 10 miles of the Site for the preceding 5 years.

Rent levels

Affordable rent can be set to 80% of the market rent for any area but prefer to explore Local Housing Allowance rent levels which are much lower and more suitable to a household on an average income. The selection of the rent levels for this site will be confirmed during the planning application with Braintree District Council. The proposed rent levels in Stisted (Nov 24) are 1 bed £620 per month, 2 bed £790 per month and 3 bed £970 per month.

Interest in a home

A Housing Need Survey was completed in 2023 and we gathered more feedback on housing need at the Public Consultation.

We ask anyone interested in one of the homes, to complete our Housing Interest Form so we can guide them through the process and keep them informed of our progress. Alternatively, if you have or know anyone with a housing need and you/they meet the criteria, you can contact us at eastdev@hastoe.com.