Warning over affordable rural housing shortage

Only a quarter of the number of affordable new homes needed to house people in rural areas have been built over the past year.

Research by the Countryside Alliance found that just over 54,000 affordable homes were built during the last financial year across the 306 local councils it surveyed.
Of 135 rural and semi-rural councils in England, there was a target to build 17,208 affordable homes over the year, despite an identified need of 76,532 – a shortfall of 78%.

The CA said the lack of affordable rural homes across England, Wales and Scotland could lead to communities breaking up and rural services closing.
“Even in the current difficult economic climate, meeting rural housing need must continue to be a priority for the government, its agencies and local authorities,” said CA chief Alice Barnard.

“The Countryside Alliance’s research highlights that affordable housing provision is a huge challenge in both urban and rural areas.

“But if the rural need for affordable housing is not addressed, and urgently, many of those communities upon which our countryside depends will shrivel and die.”
According to the CA, rural populations have grown by about 800,000 people over the past ten years – twice the rate of urban areas – as people move from towns to the countryside.

It said the trend had driven up rural house prices, forcing many young people away from areas they had grown up in.

The Department for Communities and Local Government said the government was spending £4.5bn on affordable housing over the next four years.

Housing minister Grant Shapps said: “We are rewarding councils for helping build more homes through the New Homes Bonus, rolling out an innovative affordable homes building programme.

“We are also allowing local communities to build local homes for local people through a new ‘Community Right to Build’,” he added.