Landowners need help to build houses
Housing policy in rural areas
DEVELOPMENT: Almost twothirds of rural landowners would build new homes to tackle a crisis in affordable places to live in the countryside if they had more faith in local planning authorities, according to a new study published today.
The acute shortage of housing in rural areas could be “all but ended”, it said.
ALMOST TWO-THIRDS of rural landowners would build new homes to tackle a crisis in affordable places to live in the countryside if they had more faith in local planning authorities, according to a new study published today.
The acute shortage of housing in rural areas could be “all but ended” if these small private developers had greater certainty and support to navigate “restricted” planning policy, the report by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) states.
Its survey of members across England and Wales found that half believe there is a housing crisis in their community, but that many are put off from building new homes to rent or buy because of a planning system that is perceived to be “too complex, risky and inflexible”.
More than two-fifths of CLA members plan to develop one or two additional properties in the next five years, but 63 per cent said they would build more new homes if there was greater support from the local authority to work through the planning process.
CLA president Ross Murray, who is due to attend the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate next week, said: “Over six million people live in our rural communities. Planning policy must be more positive about the socioeconomic benefits that development can bring about, and should focus more on what development is needed to ensure these areas thrive in the future, rather than attempting to restrict settlement growth. “Incremental growth on a small scale could make a huge difference to the housing shortage across our villages. A quarter of CLA members wish to build affordable homes and 40 per cent want to build new homes to rent, so it is clear rural landowners have the capacity to meet the housing needs of people who want to live and work in the countryside but who are priced out.
“Without an appropriate mix of homes in the countryside, rural areas are at risk of becoming only the preserve of commuters, the retired and holiday homes.”
Dorothy Fairburn, the CLA’s regional director, acknowledged that The North and East Yorkshire Rural Housing Enabler Network and its partners had exceeded its annual target for building affordable homes in rural areas, including homes in Hutton Rudby, Grassington and Helmsley.
But she said the current planning system is still not supportive enough of local authorities, organisations and landowners who want to build affordable homes.
Miss Fairburn added: “The lack of affordable housing should also be viewed in tandem with poor digital infrastructure in the countryside. A recent report by consumer organisation Which? found Ryedale to be one of the worst areas in the UK for broadband speeds.”
Incremental growth on a small scale could make a huge difference. Ross Murray, president of the Country Land and Business Association.
EVEN THOUGH the perception is that rural residents are instinctively opposed to new developments so their views remain unspoilt, most appreciate that countryside communities need to evolve if they’re to survive. The challenge is making sure that any new schemes are in keeping with an area’s character, hence today’s report by the Country Land and Business Association which has investigated the issue in depth. Its findings need to be taken on board.
For, while it’s been long established that there is a nationwide housing shortage and young families are being priced out of rural areas because supply has not kept pace with demand, there are landowners, farmers and businesses who are reluctant to advance schemes because planning bodies have been allowed to become too pernickety in their humble opinion.
A balance needs to be struck. Though it is reassuring that there remain officials who appreciate the importance of the countryside’s aesthetic appeal, CLA president Ross Murray notes that incremental increases in the number of smaller pockets of land becoming available would ease pressure on those villages and towns earmarked for larger developments which might, in turn, become too overbearing for their own good.
With nearly two-thirds of surveyed landowners saying they would build new homes to rent or buy if they had more confidence in their local planning department, a slightly revised approach could provide firmer foundations for the future. Then, the challenge is making sure a greater proportion of these properties are affordable to first-time buyers – and those families – who yearn to live in the countryside and support the rural economy.