Barrow's Strategic Approach
For many years, Barrow's Housing Strategy has targeted its efforts to make the housing in the town centre sustainable and to meet housing need in the Borough. This has included the Central Renewal Area, the Heart of Barrow scheme, Capital Challenge, Hindpool Renewal Area and most recently the North Central Renewal Area. Studies such as the Stock Options Appraisal (2004), and Neighbourhood Renewal Assessment (2005), have provided evidence of problems of poor quality and low demand housing in the town centre wards.
The Council worked through the Furness and West Cumbria Housing Market Partnership to produce a prospectus for action in 2005. The Council's delivery focuses on the priority areas identified in the prospectus.
The Council has carried out a number of assessments of housing need and private sector housing conditions. The reports of the following can be downloaded from the links below:
- 2006 Housing Needs Survey
- 2006 House Condition Survey
- 2012 House Condition Survey
- 2014 Strategic Housing Market Assessment
Cumbria Housing Strategy
Barrow Borough Council is a partner in the Cumbria Housing Group. This also includes the other councils in Cumbria, and the principal operating in Cumbria. The Group has produced a Housing Strategy for the county as a whole. The Cumbria Housing Group is part of wider Cumbrian partnership working and links to other sub regional bodies such as the Local Enterprise Partnership.
The first Cumbria Housing Strategy was launched in October 2006, and the Cumbria Housing Group produced an updated strategy in 2011. You can download a copy of this strategy here.
The revised strategy has three key themes:
Key Theme 1: Housing Growth, Affordability and Community Sustainability
Key Theme 2: Vulnerable People, Supporting Independence
Key Theme 3: Housing Market Renewal: Using Stock More Effectively
An action plan to deliver these themes has also been agreed. This can be downloaded here.
Barrow Housing Statement
Barrow Borough Council has also produced its own action plan to set out how it will work towards achieving these shared strategic objectives. This "Housing Statement" can be downloaded here.