Delivering Rural Affordable Housing: Turning a Will into a Way

The shortage of affordable housing in rural areas is a growing crisis that demands urgent attention. A newly released report, There’s a Will – Here’s the Way, by Jo Lavis of Rural Housing Solutions and Ursula Bennion, CEO of Trent & Dove, delves into the complexities faced by Registered Providers (RPs) in delivering rural affordable housing. This research, in collaboration with the Rural Housing Alliance, highlights the significant obstacles in place and calls for targeted policy changes to transform the housing landscape in rural communities.

Understanding the Challenges

The report reveals that while many Registered Providers are eager to deliver rural housing, a mix of internal and external factors often undermines their commitment:

• Mission and Challenges: Many non-Strategic Partners (non-SPs), such as smaller or rural-focused housing associations, see delivering affordable housing in remote areas as their core mission. These providers are ready to work creatively, even at financial risk, to bring housing to rural communities. On the other hand, large-scale Strategic Partners (SPs), despite being willing, are often constrained by broader geographical priorities and financial targets that limit their focus on small-scale rural developments.
• Financial Burden: Development costs in rural areas are inflated by various factors, including challenges of achieving economies of scale, logistical difficulties of building in remote locations, and increasing demands for meeting environmental standards such as Net Zero.
• Additional Complexities: Securing planning permissions, community reluctance, and inconsistent support from Homes England are additional barriers to delivering rural affordable housing.

Policy Recommendations

The research doesn’t just outline the issues—it provides practical solutions. Key recommendations include:

• Better Funding Mechanisms: Introduce a ‘Rural Multiplier’ to ensure that small developments in parishes with populations under 3,000 receive appropriate financial support.
• Appoint a Rural Champion: Appoint a Rural Champion within Homes England to oversee rural housing strategies and ensure these communities are no longer sidelined.
• Simplify Planning: Introduce a Rural Exception Site Planning Passport to simplify and speed up the planning process for essential rural housing schemes.
• Enhanced Support for Local Authorities: Encourage local authorities and Homes England to adopt enhanced local planning resources and provide consistent support for rural schemes.
• Strengthen Housing Enablers: Ensure housing enablers have the resources they need to provide consistent support, which is currently lacking due to under-resourcing.

A Path Forward for Rural Communities

Affordable rural housing is not just about bricks and mortar; it is about revitalising communities, supporting local economies, and ensuring the fabric of rural society remains intact. These developments offer high-quality homes for people who contribute to local businesses and services and individuals who provide informal social support networks for vulnerable members of society.

The report emphasises that these small-scale, impactful schemes can make a profound difference, but only if a comprehensive package of measures is implemented to overcome the financial and logistical hurdles. With dedicated funding, simpler planning policies, and enhanced support for rural enablers, the dream of thriving rural communities can become a reality.

Join the Movement

The Rural Housing Alliance is calling on policymakers, local councils, and housing associations to act. Action must be taken to ensure that affordable homes are not a distant hope but a present reality.

Read the full report for an in-depth look at the challenges and solutions to rural affordable housing. Together, we can make a difference.