The Paddock Riseley

There is an identified community need for Retirement Bungalows in Riseley

At the time of the Riseley Neighbourhood Planning Group Housing Needs Survey, in June 2019,  there were no bungalows or retirement properties available for sale on the open market in Riseley.

At the Parish Council Meeting in August 2019, DUNCAN STEWARD, Chairman, Riseley Parish Council, asked for a show of hands from those in the room who were interested in purchasing a bungalow, and a forest of hands shot up.

Riseley Village Newsletter December 2018 stated:

Riseley Neighbourhood Plan

"A huge thank you to all those who came to our Neighbourhood Plan event on 20 October 2018. Your input has enabled us better to identify what is important to residents and businesses and confirmed that a Neighbourhood Plan is important for our community. 

There was recognition that the village will need to grow and evolve but that this should happen in a measured and considered manner. Most of the comments received were about housing, particularly a mix including affordable housing for younger people and bungalows for older people, and for developments to be relatively small parcels with off-road parking rather than large estates.

Mark Chamberlain

Chairman of the Neighbourhood Plan Group"

The Paddock meets the identified need for Riseley to grow and evolve with bungalows for older people, on a small parcel of land with good off-street parking.

Our recent application for retirement bungalows, on this site, was supported by Riseley Parish Council but refused by Bedford Borough Council.

Riseley Housing Needs Survey, June 2019

The Riseley Neighbourhood Planning Group Housing Needs Survey Questionnaire stated:

The survey results will help the Parish Council to comment on future planning applications in the parish and identify priorities for the emerging Neighbourhood Plan.

Over 150 Riseley Housing Needs Survey responses were received by Bedford Rural Communities Charity (BRCC) in August 2019.  BRCC declare that they hope for a 20% to 25% response rate for Housing Needs Surveys but Riseley exceeded this with over 27% response rate.

Riseley Housing Needs Survey Report August 2019 states:

Views on housing needs in Riseley

86% of respondents would support a small development (up to 12 homes) 

Analysis of need – market housing

Chapter 7 will consider the 20 owner occupier households looking to purchase housing on the open market in Riseley over the next 10 years.
The timescale in which these 20 respondents indicated that they would be looking for different accommodation was as follows:

0-3 years 13
3-5 years 4
5 - 10 years 3

Clearly the majority want new housing in the very short term, the next 3 years.

7.3 Sizes and types of house required

The preferred future housing type of the 20 respondents breaks down as follows:

Flat / Apartment 2
House 4
Bungalow / Retirement housing 15
The demand is predominantly for bungalows or retirement suitable homes.

The preferred future house size of the 20 respondents in terms of number of bedrooms breaks down as follows:

 1 bedroom 1
 2 bedrooms 8
 3 bedrooms 11
 More than 3 bedrooms 2

It is clear that the dominant requirement is for 2 and 3 bedroom retirement bungalows.

8.2 Market housing 

Analysis of the responses considered in Chapter 7, and other evidence considered in chapters 2 and 3, suggests that there is a need for market housing, if Riseley is to meet the identified current and future needs of existing owner occupier residents wishing to stay in the parish.  The need identified is split between 2 and 3 bedroom properties, mainly bungalows (or accessible homes) but with a smaller demand for houses. 

The evidence for this is as follows:

•   At the time of the survey there were no bungalows or retirement properties available for sale on the open market.  
•  The relative shortage of smaller properties for sale in Riseley.   There was only  1, 2-bedroom property currently available for sale on the open market in Riseley.    
•  The 20 owner occupier respondents, who would be looking for more suitable properties at some point over the next 10 years, 7 of these within the next 5 years.  

The Housing Needs Survey Report goes on to say :

It should be noted that there is no guarantee that housing sold on the open market will be bought by people with a local connection to Riseley. It is therefore not possible to stipulate how much new housing would meet the needs of the owner occupier respondents identified above. However, it is reasonable to suggest that the provision of up to 10 suitable units would meet a reasonable proportion of the need while being in keeping with the size of the parish".

The bungalows on The Paddock will be only for people 55 and older who currently live in Riseley or who have a strong local connection to Riseley. The age restriction and the local connection will be implemented through a legally binding Section 106 agreement with Bedford Borough Council.  Providing these bungalows will allow Riseley people who want to downsize, to stay in Riseley and free up large family homes for those who need them.

Other sites in Riseley

Redundant Margaret Beaufort School site. 

The vision statement for the redundant Margaret Beaufort School site, presented at a Riseley Parish Council Meeting by Bedford Borough Council, shows 34 dwellings only 2 of which are bungalows and they are are not restricted to people over 55 with a local connection to Riseley.

https://www.riseleyvillage.co.uk/parish-council-news/

Lowsden Lane

The Lowsden Lane proposals, based on the presentation by Paul Barton of Brunton Knowles, at a Riseley Parish Council Meeting, is for 10 houses but no bungalows.

Church Lane- the old lower school site.

As of April 2021 the site has not been developed and is being advertised as land for sale.

The old Lower School site, was granted planning permission in March 2020, for six semi-detached, two bedroom bungalows with no front garden and small rear gardens, no garages, no communal space no allotments, together with one small detached bungalow and two converted Victorian school buildings. 

Some of the individual rear gardens fall below the requirements as set out in RENDSID (rear gardens should have a depth of at least 13 metres)   The Church Lane development is not restricted to those over 55 with a local connection to Riseley. 

To date the site has not been developed and is being advertised as land for sale.

As best we know, no other sites are offering to build bungalows restricted to over 55 with a local connection to Riseley.

The full Riseley Housing Needs Survey Report can be found below and is also available in the Neighbourhood planning sectionon the Riseley Parish Council website www.riseleyvillage.co.uk   

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