ruralhousing

As part of #RuralHousingWeek, we’re shining a light on the vital work being done to support Berkshire’s rural communities—and the people behind it. Meet Maria Kelly, our dedicated Rural Housing Enabler, who is helping to tackle the growing challenge of affordable housing in the countryside.

Building Momentum in Year Two

In March 2025, we entered the second year of our Affordable Rural Housing project, building on the successes and lessons of our first year. After nearly seven years without dedicated support for rural affordable housing in Berkshire, there was a clear need to re-establish connections with parish councils, raise awareness of the service, and understand the scale of the housing crisis in rural areas.

Thanks to strong local engagement—and support from figures such as Olivia Bailey, MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire, who highlighted our work in a Westminster Hall debate—the project is gaining real momentum.

Maria Kelly says:
“The housing crisis is hitting rural areas hard. Too often, affordable homes go to those with no local connection—leaving communities feeling overlooked. We’re working to change that.”

Working with Rural Parishes

Since April 2024, Maria has worked closely with five rural parishes to identify local housing needs:

Beech Hill

Beenham

Compton

Waltham St Lawrence

Horton

Each parish faces unique challenges, but common themes include limited land availability, pressure on housing waiting lists, and a strong desire for homes that meet local needs. In several areas, we are now exploring potential sites and housing providers for rural exception site developments—small-scale, locally driven housing projects that prioritise people with a connection to the parish.

Looking Ahead: Priorities for 2025

As we continue our work, our key priorities for the year include:

Continuing Housing Needs Surveys and supporting parishes progressing toward affordable housing

Using census data to map housing need across Berkshire and identify areas of greatest need

Sharing insights with parish councils to inform local decision-making

Advocating for local connection policies on new and existing rural affordable homes

Gathering feedback from tenants on Berkshire RES sites to understand the impact of our work

Collaborating regionally through the Rural Thames network to improve access to affordable rural housing

Get Involved

We believe that stronger rural communities start with secure, affordable homes. If you’re part of a parish council or community group and want to explore how we can support your area, we’d love to hear from you. Email Maria.Kelly@ccberks.org.uk

Leave a comment 10/12/2024 Connecting Communities in Berkshire

Since April our Rural Housing Enabler Maria has been working with Beenham Parish Council to help them identify affordable housing need in Beenham and look at options for developing affordable homes for local people in the Parish.

A Housing Needs Survey was completed in September 2024, and the results were presented to Beenham residents at a public meeting on the 29th October at the Victory Hall. This meeting was also an opportunity for residents to share stories about the impact of insufficient affordable housing in the village on individuals and the community as a whole, and ask questions about what happens next, once housing need has been identified.

David Hancock, Parish Councillor, described succinctly how the cost of housing was affecting the community. He said:

“As young adults having families, many of us had the benefit of becoming house owners or having affordable rents because property prices were cheaper relevant to income. In Beenham today the cheapest house is 7 times annual income. Previously, we were able to choose where we lived, so we were able to grow up with family near us in a community we knew, if we wanted to. Communities could sustain local schools and some amenities. As people moved on from running the community’s clubs and associations we had their successors, young people rooted in the community. Today that is being lost in Beenham. We can change this and that is why we started this initiative with the full backing of the Parish Council and the indispensable support of CCB.”

Acting Headmistress of the local school, Sophie McBean, made a statement about the problems facing the school due a to lack of accordable homes in the parish:

“Beenham has very little housing that is affordable for young families. When applying for school places, families fall in the catchment of the school they live closest to, so making the village more accessible for young families will help to increase pupil numbers in the school. Pupil numbers are vital for every school but make a particular impact on small schools such as Beenham Primary School. School funding is allocated per child, so in simple terms, the more children in school equates to more money to spend on providing an excellent education for all of our pupils.”

With around 50 people in attendance there was lively discussion about housing issues and potential sites for new homes, and with a wide range of views in the community about new developments, past housing initiatives, infrastructure, and the importance of local connections criteria, the Parish Council did an excellent job of allowing everyone to speak and be heard.

As affordable housing need HAS been identified in Beenham, the next step will be to visit potential locations for homes with a local planning officer to assess site viability and start to approach relevant landowners. As with any community, there will be supporters and those with concerns or objections at every stage of the process. Beenham Parish Council have taken great care to keep the community informed and use local social media sites to share information and answer residents questions. This is just the beginning of the process for Beenham, having an active and engaged parish council who listen to and inform residents has been key to the projects success so far.

If you’d like to know more about our Rural Affordable Housing project please click here.

Connecting Communities in Berkshire

#RuralHousingWeek Spotlight: Meet Maria Kelly, Our Rural Housing Enabler

As part of #RuralHousingWeek, we’re shining a light on the vital work being done to support Berkshire’s rural communities—and the people behind it. Meet Maria Kelly, our dedicated Rural Housing Enabler, who is helping to tackle the growing challenge of affordable housing in the countryside.