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Cherwell Home Page

Welcome to Cherwell's Choice Based Lettings scheme

Cherwell introduced the current Allocation Scheme on 7 September 2015. To view the Allocation Scheme click here. To see other useful documents and links click here

Our bidding cycles are WEEKLY

Bidding on this cycle starts on Wednesday 05 December 2018

Bidding finishes on this cycle on Monday 10 December 2018

Future bidding cycle start dates are:

Wednesday 12 December 2018
Wednesday 19 December 2018

Click here to view properties. Please note we can only advertise properties that our Registered Providers have advised us are available.

Introduction

We successfully run a Choice Based Lettings system. We have been working hard to improve our service to you. So we have:

changed our bidding cycles from fortnightly to weekly
agreed a revised banding scheme for all housing register applicants
agreed new rules for calculating under-occupation and overcrowding when assessing your application for housing.

If you want full details of the scheme click here.

Applying for Properties

The Allocation of Accommodation: guidance for local housing authorities in England (June 2012) states that a bedroom shall be allocated to the following family members:

Adult couple

Any other single adult aged 21 or more

Pair of adolescents aged 10-20 of the same sex

Pair of children aged under 10 regardless of sex

Please note that two children/adolescents of the same sex will be expected to share until the elder one reaches the age of 21

Household size	Number of bedrooms allowed
Single person under 35	Studio or 1 bedroom flat (if meet eligibility criteria )
Single person over 35	Studio or 1 bedroom flat
Adult Couple	1 bedroom
2 applicants not couple	2 bedrooms
Household with 1 child	2 bedrooms
Household with 2 children	Refer to table above
Household with 3 children	Refer to table above
Household with 4 children	Refer to table above
Household with 5 children	Refer to table above

Cope Road Letting Criteria

Properties will be designated for allocation as follows:

The site will be advertised to on the choice based lettings system. Applicants who wish to take advantage of support to access employment, education and/or training can apply for these properties. Applicants will be assessed against the following criteria

Selection for advanced lettings
Nominees will be selected from the Council’s Housing Register according to the following Criteria:

In employment and/or education at point of letting OR agreement to take up an offer of employment, education or work experience with ‘on the job’ training. Please note this will be a condition within the occupancy agreement.
Willing to engage in employment, education, or training and agree to accept support in this area from a recognised support provider.
Willingness to work with other residents in the scheme to ensure communal areas of the property are kept clean and tidy.
Applicant qualifies under the Allocation Scheme rules at the time of application
Applicant has not been guilty of unacceptable behaviour as defined by the Allocation Scheme
Applicant has passed a full financial affordability check
If the Applicant needs any tenancy related support beyond support with employment, training and education this must be in place prior to the allocation being made.

Town Centre House Letting Criteria

No children, no pets, applicant must be 18 or over

Flats will be designated for allocation as follows:

The site will be advertised to on the choice based lettings system for applicants who wish to take advantage of support to access employment and training. Applicants will be assessed by an assessment panel against the following criteria

Applicant qualifies under the Allocation Scheme rules at the time of application
Applicant has passed a full financial affordability check
Applicant is committed to take on the employment and training support on offer at Town Centre House to support further Career development.
Applicant does not need any tenancy related support beyond support into employment, training and education. If further support is required this must be in place prior to the allocation being made.

Applicants who meet the criteria will be assessed as to the level of employment support required to ensure a balance across the scheme.

Minimum of 15% (6 flats) offers made to applicants with high support needs. This is defined as a need for a need for in depth one to one support with an applicant to prepare them for work or training
Maximum of 40% (15 flats) lettings to go to applicants with medium support needs including updating CVs, preparation for interviews etc.
Maximum of 45% (18 flats) lettings to go to applicants with low support needs who may be in work and wish to improve their prospects, and move on from their current role

The assessment panel will comprise of at least one member of the Housing Needs team, at least one member of the Build! Housing Management team and a representative of the employment service.

Local Lettings Plan Heyford Park June 2015

This lettings plan follows the approval at Cherwell District Council Executive Meeting on the 6th August 2007 to develop a lettings plan that would give priority in the allocation of any new affordable housing developed as part of the planning approval associated with application reference 10/01642/OUT to those residents who reside on Heyford Park.

In 2012 following the approval of the outline planning permission for the site, a survey was commissioned by the Council and carried out by DWA to gather information on the all the tenants on Heyford Park in order to gather together a picture of the household circumstances that existed on the site. This information has been used to inform on the type of affordable housing secured on the site, for example the house types and tenure of the housing. Ultimately the aim of the survey being carried out and this local lettings plan is to ensure that those households which have resided on Heyford Park and the community that has been built up over that time has the opportunity to remain on the site through the allocation of a housing option.

As such the timeframe of the survey and those resident on the site at the time of the survey completion 31st March 2012 was used in the S106 in order to grant priority status for those residents.

Priority Groups

Due to the length of time that has elapsed and also the projected length of time that it will take for the site to be fully developed it has been determined that there should be four groupings to determine the priority order in which residents will be considered for the allocation of the new affordable housing at Heyford Park. These groupings will be used to prioritise the rented properties. The groupings will include reference to local connection criteria and give priority to residents of Upper Heyford Park both prior and post the Survey carried out in 2012.

As with any allocations there will be exceptional cases which arise and may need to be dealt with on a case by case basis. These could include those with a severe housing need on the site as determined by the Council.

Group A -residents who meet the criteria as ‘Eligible Occupiers’ as identified in the S106 Agreement who were residing on Heyford Park prior to 31st March 2012, responded to the Survey ,remain resident on Heyford Park at the time new affordable housing becomes available to be allocated.

Will be:

Awarded first priority status for allocation of the new affordable housing built on Heyford Park.
Will be directly matched to a suitable property by the Council using the Choice Based Lettings system.
Priority within this group will be determined by their required move date from their existing Dorchester private rented property, unless there are exceptional circumstances. If a household feels as though they have a particularly high housing need due to a specific family circumstance, they can contact the Council directly for an assessment which may or may not affect their priority on the housing list depending upon the Council’s judgement.
The size of property they qualify for is detailed in section 4.4. of this document, and is applicable to Group A residents only.
To achieve this offer they will need to be registered on the current Cherwell Housing Register. For Group A residents the £60,000 assets or earning’s restriction will NOT apply.
This prioritisation will not translate to other affordable housing allocations in the rest of Cherwell District. Residents seeking affordable housing elsewhere will be considered with others on the general register in line with their housing needs assessment and banding.
Group A residents will receive up to 3 offers of suitable housing on Heyford Park. If they refuse all 3 offers, they will lose their priority as Group A, and will be considered for homes alongside Group B residents.

All affordable properties not taken up by Group A residents will be advertised through the Council’s Choice Based Lettings System and subject to the Council’s Allocation Scheme rules. Applicants for these properties will be given priority as defined below.

Group B – All other current tenants not a resident prior to 31st March 2012 or those Group A residents who chose not to accept their direct match offers of accommodation on the site.

Will be:

Awarded second priority for allocation of the new affordable housing built on Heyford Park.
Will be required to apply and be eligible to join the Council’s Housing Register, or may have already been registered, in line with its current Allocations Scheme. In accordance with the Council’s Allocation Scheme those having assets or earning over £60,000 will NOT be eligible to join the Housing Register. The full Allocations Scheme can be viewed at www.cherwell.gov.uk
The size of property they qualify for will be defined by the Allocation Scheme rules.
Priority within this group will be determined by their required move date from their existing Dorchester private rented property, unless there are exceptional circumstances. If a household feels as though they have a particularly high housing need due to a specific family circumstance, they can contact the Council directly for an assessment which may or may not affect their priority on the housing list depending upon the Council’s judgement.
Will receive up to three offers of suitable affordable housing on Heyford Park. The consequences of refusing all three offers of accommodation for those applications on the Housing Register are detailed within the Council’s Allocation Scheme and can be viewed at www.cherwell.gov.uk
This Local Lettings Plan only affords Group B residents prioritisation for new affordable homes at Heyford Park. This prioritisation will not translate to other affordable housing allocations in the rest of Cherwell District. Residents seeking affordable housing elsewhere will be considered with others on the general register in line with their housing needs assessment and banding.

Group C – This group will be awarded prioritisation below Bands A and B but above those applicants on the general housing register. This will be due to their local connection to Heyford Park, which is detailed below.

They will be;

Awarded third priority following Group A and B
Will be required to apply and be eligible to join the Council Housing Register, or may have already been registered, in line with its current Allocations Scheme
Group C will cover residents with a local connection to; Upper Heyford (including Upper Heyford Airbase), Lower Heyford, Ardley, Fritwell, Somerton, North Aston. Steeple Aston, Middle Aston and Middleton Stoney

Qualifying village or parish connections are that the applicant or joint applicant must:

Have lived in the village for the last 5 years
Be employed in the village for a minimum of fifteen hours per week and the employment is not of a short-term nature
Have 10 years previous residence in the village if not currently residing there
Be over 55 or with a disability requiring support on health grounds from close relatives currently living in the village
Have close relatives living in the village for a period of at least the last five years. (Close relatives are defined as parents, children, siblings, grandparents or grandchildren including step relatives, where there is evidence of frequent contact, commitment or dependency).

Where applicants have a strong connection with a particular village, we will ask them to detail this on their application. This will enable them to be actively considered for any housing development, which takes place in areas where they hold such a connection. If an applicant is successful, they will have to provide proof of their connection before they can be approved for the nomination.

We check village connections as specified in the section 106 agreement determined when planning permission is granted for a rural exception development to take place prior to making nominations to our partner Registered Providers.

Priority within this group will be determined by housing need, according to the Councils Allocation Scheme. If a household feels as though they have a particularly high housing need due to a specific family circumstance, they can contact the Council directly for an assessment which may or may not affect their priority on the housing list depending upon the Council’s judgement.

Group D – This group refers to any applicants on the housing register who qualify for affordable housing in Cherwell District subject to the Council’s Allocations Scheme and shall be considered for allocation of affordable housing after Groups A-C.

Housing Offer

Housing options interviews will be carried out with all residents on Heyford Park in order to ensure that each household is aware of their housing priority in line with this Local Lettings Plan, and other housing options available to them within Cherwell. These interviews will be carried out by CDC Officers. Affordability checks to ensure nominated applicants can afford to move into the affordable properties at Heyford Park will be carried out by the managing Registered Provider.

Housing options interviews will also be carried out with all tenants in order to ensure they are fully aware of all the housing options open to them both on Heyford Park and in Cherwell District. This will include information about the new rented and shared ownership affordable housing being delivered on Heyford Park as well as any private rented or purchase opportunities that may be affordable to residents.

The housing options interviews will also cover other issues, such as ensuring information is gathered on households medical needs which impact on their housing situation or any other special needs that a household may have which would be important when considering the housing offer made to them or the housing options open to them.

Applicants eligible for properties for Affordable Rent will be able to access the size of property they are entitled to under Cherwell District Council’s Allocation Scheme except Group A which are entitled to the following property size’s: Household Size	Number of bedrooms
Single Person	Studio or 1 bedroom/2 bedroom (subject to affordability checks)
Couple	1 bedroom/2 bedroom (subject to affordability checks)
2 applicants not a couple	2 bedroom/3 bedroom (subject to affordability checks)
Household with 1 child	2 bedroom/3 bedroom (subject to affordability checks)
Household with 2 children	2 or 3 bedroom (subject to affordability checks)
Household with 3 children	3 or 4 bedroom (subject to affordability checks)
Household with 4 or more children	4 bedroom

Extra Care Developments at Orchard Meadows, Banbury and Centurion House, Bicester,and Moorside Place Kidlington are provided by Order of St John Care Trust
and
Extra Care Developments at Stanbridge House, Banbury and Erdington House, Yarnton, provided by Housing 21

For people aged 55 and over there are apartments to rent or to purchase through shared ownership at these developments. Extra Care housing offers a new way of supporting you to live independently and maintain a quality of life for as long as possible.

You have the privacy of your own home with your own tailored support package to suit your individual needs. For added reassurance, emergency care is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is a range of facilities for you to enjoy and share with friends and relatives in a secure environment.

SHARED OWNERSHIP
With shared ownership, you can purchase 25%, 50% or 75% of your new home and pay for the care and support you require. Purchase prices range from £138,750 (based on a 75% share with no rent to pay on the unsold equity). For further information on apartments to buy through shared ownership contact the sales and support advisor on 0345 608 4021 or email sales@housing21.co.uk for Stanbridge House and Erdington House and 01295 230124 for Orchard Meadows or 01869 843104 for Centurion House.

RENTING
For further information on apartments to rent call the Housing & Care Manager on 0345 606 6363 or email lettings@housing21.co.uk for Stanbridge House and Erdington House and call the Housing & Care Manager on 01295 230124 for Orchard Meadows, 01869 843104 for Centurion House or 0800 988 8133 for Moorside Place Kidlington

Interested in shared ownership?

You no longer need to be active on the housing register to apply, for further information please contact:

www.helptobuysouth.co.uk

or telephone 0800 456 1188

Enhanced Housing Options

This is an online form that you can complete to find the options for housing that are open to you. It is easy to do and will present you with a document summarising your housing options, that you can save or print.

To complete the form click here (opens in a new window)

Useful documents

The Allocation Scheme - sets out our policy for choice based lettings (opens in a new window)
It's your choice - summarises how choice based lettings works (opens in a new window)
Applying for a home in Cherwell - tells you what you need to know about getting onto the housing register (opens in a new window)
Housing register application form - so you can apply to come onto our housing register (opens in a new window)

Useful links

search for available homes
apply for a property
view previously advertised properties
Cherwell's website
Send us an email
contact us.

Some information on this site is in PDF format (Portable Document Format) To view these documents you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader.

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Cherwell Housing Register