Development of Council owned sites for housing

Description

The housing shortage in Surrey has a negative impact on the lives of Surrey residents, local businesses and local public services and exacerbates the hardships that Surrey's most vulnerable residents face. Surrey County Council (SCC) is therefore pleased to bring forward this exciting opportunity to deliver housing across four vacant sites owned by SCC in various locations across the county. To address the complex and challenging housing environment that Surrey and many other parts of the country are facing SCC is taking an innovative approach to use its own surplus sites to develop more affordable general needs housing that includes homes where nomination rights will be specifically for people with mental health needs support needs. In addition to the housing shortage, the mental health system is under significant pressure in Surrey. Through its Right Homes, Right Support (RHRS) Strategy, SCC is actively working to enable people to access the right health and social care at the right time in the right place. The RHRS Strategy includes a dedicated mental health programme. SCC has identified that Surrey requires approximately 185 to 210 additional units for people with mental health needs by 2030 to meet the projected demand. Consistent with the feedback from people with lived experience, our research has also established that most additional homes required should be self-contained as this type of housing delivers better outcomes. The existing mental health care and support market in Surrey has been unable to respond to this request for self-contained accommodation, and therefore the Council has committed to meeting this gap by using its own vacant sites to stimulate the market to develop more self-contained services. This programme will contribute towards two key strategic aims of the requirement for additional housing in Surrey and new mental health supported independent self-contained accommodation. The Council's Cabinet approved this approach at its Cabinet meeting on 27th May 2025, see link below to the decision. https://mycouncil.surreycc.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=42736