Eight out of 10 rural local authorities have also consistently under-supplied new homes since 1997.
To say there’s a housing crisis in rural areas is an understatement. New research from the University of Western England (UWE) shows only 20% of councils that are situated in rural areas of England have set strict targets to provide social rent housing in their Local Plans.
Against this backdrop, the research – commissioned by countryside charity CPRE – shows seven local authorities have no plans at all to build any affordable homes.
News of the report comes following the government’s decision to scrap rural targets to provide affordable properties, which is outlined in the Social and Affordable Housing Programme – an 10-year initiative that was launched earlier this month.
On the subject of government plans, Labour’s revised Standard Method for assessing housing need in England has led to overestimations in some parts of the country and left out key areas. More people are looking to move to greener, smaller areas, but the research shows 79% of rural councils have frequently under-supplied new properties.
To give context, housing shortfalls range from 41 homes in Wyre to a staggering 28,625 properties in Dorset.
Commenting on the findings, Paul Miner, CPRE’s head of planning, said: ‘The government’s commitment to build more social housing is encouraging, but we’re not yet convinced that enough will be done to tackle the housing crisis in rural areas. Not enough priority is being given in rural local plans to building social homes, so Angela Rayner needs to step in and make it a clear expectation that we see more genuinely affordable homes in every new housing estate in rural England.’
Separate government findings likewise display the severity of the problem. Rates of homelessness have increased by 73% in rural areas since 2018. What’s more, cases of rough sleeping in some parts of the countryside now exceed those in major cities.
In light of the new report, CPRE are calling on the government to enact change. Some of their recommendations include:
- Make the inclusion of social housing and affordable homes a condition of planning permission for all new developments.
- Support Homes England in helping rural local authorities to increase the delivery of new social properties.
The full report from CPRE and the University of Western England can be found here.
Photo by Keith Mapeki via UnSplash
In related news:
Rachel Reeves to boost homeownership by slashing the ‘financial red tape’
Leave a Reply