A STARK warning that the massive cost of land in the area is making affordable housing schemes "virtually impossible" has been given by Waverley Borough Council.
In a report to the community overview and scrutiny committee this week, WBC's Waverley Homes, which manages, maintains and improves affordable housing for people across the borough, acknowledged that it is "unable to meet the need and demand which prevails locally" .
And it makes it clear that, in general terms, Waverley will not be building any new social homes to provide additional housing stock, concentrating instead on bringing existing homes up to standard.
With an acre of developable land in Waverley commanding anything from a million pounds upwards, it was agreed this week by members of the committee to look at alternative ways of providing land for social housing.
The report, which will be discussed by Waverley's executive committee next week, along with a set of proposals to address the situation, said that with house prices in Waverley more than double the national average, people on low and modest incomes are unable to get on to the housing ladder.
It paints a bleak picture of the prospects of young people owning their own homes in the area, with those in their late teens and twenties leaving the district in increasing numbers because of both "the high costs of home-ownership and the relatively small and expensive private rented sector".
Rents, say the report, are fairly expensive with three-bedroom houses last year commanding in the order of £800 per month and more.
That, councillors were told had a knock-on effect for businesses and employers like hospitals and the heath service which are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit staff.
At present there are some 1,066 households on the council's Housing Needs Register, of which 51 need specialised elderly or disabled homes and 395 are households with or expecting children. Last September there were 147 households in temporary accommodation.
Results of an independent housing needs study in 1997 also revealed that there was a considerable number of households in need which had not applied to Waverley for social housing. A further study is expected this year.
With 21 per cent of the local population over retirement age, compared with 19 per cent county wide, the number of residents over the age of 75 say Waverley has risen by more than a third since 1981 and almost 86 per cent of the population own their own homes.