HOUSING chiefs will try to persuade thousands of York home-owners to down-size, to help tackle the city’s chronic shortage of suitable properties.

A keynote report produced by City of York Council says 78 per cent of private homes in the city are officially “under-occupied”, meaning they have more than one spare bedroom. The national average is less than 60 per cent.

The phenomenon is particularly prevalent among the elderly, and officials see it as one of the biggest housing issues facing the city, which is short of family homes.

In the council’s new private sector housing strategy, they state: “Having such a high rate of under-occupation means the city is not maximising the use of its housing stock.

“Under occupation is a key issue for the city but not one with obvious answers. We must explore best practice from elsewhere for ideas about how best to address it and seek a better understanding of what incentives might encourage people to move.”

They said a particular challenge would be to provide more housing options for older people to consider.

Coun Sue Galloway, the council’s executive member for housing, said offering cash incentives had encouraged social housing tenants to down-size, and said a similar approach could work with private householders.

“At this point in time, we would look at anything really to see what we could do. Some of the major builders do have schemes where they encourage people to down-size.”

Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, York Labour’s housing spokeswoman said: “The principle of asking residents to consider downsizing is fine but it has to be a practical one. Moving from a three-bed property to a one-bed property for most people will not be practical when considering family visits and care requirements.

“Residents’ social support networks must also be taken into account.”

The under-occupation problem was highlighted in the council’s new strategy, outlining the state of York’s private housing stock and market.

Since the last strategy in 2003, the proportion of “unfit” homes has fallen from 4.9 per cent to 2.1 per cent, against a national average of 3.9 per cent.

Fewer than 20 per cent of private sector homes in York failed the decent homes standard against a national average of 37.5 per cent, and overall fuel poverty rates of 8.2 per cent against a national average of 11 per cent.

The strategy aims to provide more energy efficient homes, more choice and vibrant, cohesive communities.

Bill Hodson, the council’s director of housing, said: “By working closely together with other organisations we are confident the objectives set out in this strategy will be met.”


Case study

Anne Hirst, of Poppleton, has two spare bedrooms in her family house, but would be reluctant to move regardless of council attempts.

“No matter what the incentives were, I would not want to move from here,” she said.

“We have three grandchildren who stay with us regularly and we have bedrooms to accommodate our family. I am 63 in May and my husband and I both feel that living in a one-bedroom apartment or a two-bedroom bungalow is not an option.”

Husband Brian said: “I do not think it has anything to do with the council. If I have got the money and want to buy a ten-bedroom house, I will buy it.”

* Anne Hirst is a false name, as the woman in question did not want to give her real name.