Rural Housing Week (1^st to 5^th July) is an opportunity to focus on the housing challenges facing people living in rural communities.  It is a chance to highlight how we can do things differently and develop lasting solutions to the rural housing crisis which is driven by a combination of low local incomes, high housing costs due to external demand, and a limited affordable housing supply. With affordable housing constituting only 9% of villages compared to 17% in urban areas, the disparity is striking.

Workplace incomes in rural areas are lower than in urban areas, but housing costs are higher. This can mean that what is known as Affordable Rent, charged at up to 80% of market rents, is unaffordable for many. Local Housing Allowance rates are often insufficient to cover higher rural rents, leaving a gap that many rural working residents find difficult to fill.

Rural Exception Sites –  small plots of land which can only be developed for affordable housing for local people,  are often the only route to meet housing needs in rural communities. However, development on these sites has halved over the past five years. 

Rural Housing Enablers are impartial advisors from rural community organisations like Connecting Communities in Berkshire, Community Impact Bucks and Community First Oxfordshire. They play an essential role in  supporting communities, landowners, local authorities, and housing associations to deliver housing on Rural Exception Sites

A New Strategy for Thriving Rural  Communities

A Manifesto for Delivering Thriving Rural Communities Through Affordable Housing is a strategic document developed by a coalition of rural charities and housing associations. It makes several evidence-based recommendations to address the rural housing crisis, focusing on a long-term strategy for scaling up and delivering a national programme of affordable rural housebuilding. Key recommendations include:

• Housing Needs Requiring local authorities to assess and document the specific housing needs in their rural communities and devise targeted policies and strategies to address them.
• Enhanced Planning Policy improving national planning policy and guidance to accelerate delivery of homes through Rural Exception Sites.
• Funding for Enablers Establishing an annual fund of approximately £2.6 million to sustain a national network of Rural Housing Enablers.
• Adapted Homelessness Strategies Adapting homelessness and rough sleeping strategies to rural areas, focusing on prevention and using enhanced data collection to uncover hidden needs.

Affordable rural housing projects, often small in scale,  yield major benefits, contributing significantly to community investment and economic prosperity. Building just ten such homes can provide a £1.4m economic boost, support 26 local jobs, and secure a net return of around £250k for the Treasury, before considering other local multiplier effects.

By understanding and addressing these challenges, the strategy aims to make the countryside a viable, inclusive, and attractive living option, enriched with opportunities for all.

Collaboration for Impact

Connecting Communities in Berkshire, Community Impact Bucks and Community First Oxfordshire are working together under the banner of the Rural Thames Valley Partnership. By sharing knowledge and resources, we aim to get the most out of our respective rural housing projects for the rural communities we serve.