Peter Bradley

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Peter Bradley

• Affordable Rural Housing Commission

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Affordable Rural Housing

• A need not an aspiration
• An obligation not an option

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Planning

• Rural renewal must be part of the mainstream
  policy and planning system
• with same priority as urban regeneration

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The Hard Facts 1

• a 6 decline in rural new build -compared to a
  29 increase in urban areas (1998-2005)
• average rural house prices up 73 compared to 68
  in town (2000-5)

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The Hard Facts 2

• house prices for first time buyers 12 higher in
  rural than in urban areas
• median rural house prices 6 higher

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The Hard Facts 3

• average earnings in the rural economy 17,400 -
  compared to an urban average of 22,300
• people seeking to buy even at the lower end of
  the rural market have to pay a 7-10 earnings
  multiple against an average 3.5 4

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The Hard Facts 4

• someone on that income could probably afford
  housing in 50 of urban wards - but in only 28
  of rural wards and only 2 in the south east
• 45 of newly forming households (23,000 pa)
  cannot afford to set up home in the ward in which
  they currently live.

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The Hard Facts 5

• 22 increase in urban affordable housing
  provision but only 3 in rural areas (2001/2
  2004/5)
• only 5 of houses in villages are social housing
  against a national average of 23

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Affordability Ratio
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Public Funding

• Housing Corporations Affordable Housing
  Programme, England 2006/08 31,800 units pa
• 22 of allocations (6,900 units) in
  predominantly rural districts where 23 of the
  population live
• Only 10 (3,166 per annum) in settlements under
  10,000, where 19 of the population live

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Targets

• Estimated social-rented housing required for
  newly-
• arising need in England 40,000 pa
• Proportionate rural share 7,500 (approx)
• Estimated provision of low-cost home ownership in
  
• England 18,000
• Proportionate rural share 3,500
• Total rural share 11,000 (approx)

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Recommendation

• Affordable rural housing should be provided,
  wherever possible, at the point of need

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The Policy Framework

• Strategy from the top down
• Intelligence and implementation from the grass
  roots up
• Partnership between and within all levels of
  government and between sectors

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Recommendations

• The Government should urgently review
  sustainability appraisal criteria
• Criteria should address social and economic as
  well as environmental needs

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Recommendations

• Most affordable housing in villages and market
  towns should be delivered by allocating sites for
  both mixed and solely affordable housing
• Local planning authorities should pursue
• lower thresholds
• more ambitious affordable housing quotas
• where appropriate and feasible, one
  affordable home for each market house

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Recommendation

• Rural areas should share in the housing growth
  planned in the Governments response to the
• Barker Review

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Recommendations

• Government should issue guidance to Regional
  Planning Bodies to give greater weight to rural
  housing needs in Regional Spatial Strategies
• RSSs should make allocations for housing which
  reflect the nature of rural housing markets
• Rural affordable housing should be provided
  through a plan-led approach

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Retaining the Stock

• Affordable housing where supply is limited must
  remain affordable in perpetuity

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Leadership and Consensus

• Government must set out the strategy
• Regional policy must address rural needs
• LPAs must plan for affordable housing
• Local leaders must build consensus

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Design

• Well designed housing can enhance the landscape

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Conclusion

• A once in a generation opportunity
• The decisions we take now, or fail to take, will
  shape the future of rural communities for
  generations to come
• We all have a part to play