CAMPAIGN Rural housing
n By Mark Metcalf RURAL HOMES SHORTAGE Unite housing workers highlight rural living crisis
While welcoming a new report highlighting the critical factors affecting rural affordable housing supply, Nick Auvache, Unite Housing Workers’ branch organiser, believes the proposed solutions fall well short of what’s required to correct a massive housing shortage.
Only 9 per cent of housing stock in rural communities of less than 3,000 residents consists of affordable homes, compared to 17 per cent in urban areas.
Trent and Dove and Rural Housing Solutions, ‘There’s a will – here’s the way’ report draws on extensive interviews with 11 registered housing providers, including strategic and non-strategic partners.
The findings reveal that a willingness to develop rural housing is blocked by financial viability, extra rural- specific costs like finding builders locally and planning delays, often caused by a lack of planning teams.
The solutions proposed are better grants, support for local authorities and rural housing enablers for developments of fewer than 15 homes, a dedicated rural champion in Homes England to ensure
10 per cent of affordable homes are built in parishes of less than 3,000 people, plus simplified and consistent planning policies.
“Building any housing is no small thing, especially rurally,” states Auvache.
“The semi-public sector should be praised for their efforts. But such is the widespread national shortage of affordable houses everywhere that we need public-led solutions that will require extensive new funds.”
He highlighted that between 2019 and 2022 there were an additional 46,318 persons registered for social housing in rural areas, yet just 5,953 social rented homes were built.
As such, small developments are not going to solve the problems. The rise of Airbnb-type lettings in rural locations, Auvache believes, are wrongly being attributed as a main cause. He views this instead as a symptom of the crisis.
Meanwhile, private house builders want the government to raise incentives. They’d be guaranteed
profits to build more rural private homes that won’t be affordable for local people who will be forced to leave.
Auvanche wants “those proposed government funds to instead help build council houses alongside the necessary infrastructure like roads, schools and community facilities allowing residents, especially the elderly, children and disabled, to fully participate in society or otherwise these rural idylls become hellholes.
“Also being a council tenant enables residents to have some democratic control over their living accommodation.”
According to Defend Council Housing, a new programme of council house building across rural communities should also include the repairing and refurbishing of existing council housing, the requisition of empty homes and the abolition of the right to buy.
It would all be part of planning for the people and the planet, not solely for developers’ profits. Public funds would also provide a much-needed boost for jobs and local economies.
Not enough – site start for social housing in a Suffolk village 36 uniteLANDWORKER Winter 2024
Alamy
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