NHF: Rural housing crisis forces unprecedented alliance

As house prices in some rural areas reach almost 10 times local earnings, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and the National Housing Federation have joined together to call on the Government to address this crisis urgently.

CPRE, which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England, and the National Housing Federation, which represents 1400 housing associations in England that provide 2 million homes for 5 million people, have today (Tuesday) published a joint Charter: Protect Rural England: Build an Affordable Home.

CPRE Chief Executive Shaun Spiers said:
"People may be surprised by this unexpected alliance but it has been brought about by an urgent need to address the rural housing crisis. We have set out the key steps we believe could help provide the homes that are so desperately needed in rural areas.

"The Affordable Rural Housing Commission that reported in May offered the Government real solutions to this worsening situation. So far we have had little response from Government."

David Orr, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation said:
"Unless we act now, we will create a rural theme park, where only the very wealthy can live, with small pockets of communities living in real hardship. To have a dynamic rural economy, we need homes and jobs in our villages and hamlets.

"The Comprehensive Spending Review and the impending review of the role of social housing is an opportunity for the Government to make a real difference to the future of England's countryside.

"There's an urgent need to increase the provision of affordable housing in villages and rural towns. Many people who play an important role in rural communities cannot afford to live in them. Sustainable rural communities require a range of housing to meet a range of needs in order to thrive, prosper and adapt to change."

Mr Spiers and Mr Orr jointly declared:
"If Government creates the right conditions then housing associations and CPRE local branches can work together in market towns and villages across England to develop well designed, appropriately sited affordable homes to meet local needs.

"Together our organisations are ready to help find the solutions needed to make sure rural England remains a vibrant, sustainable place to live. And not somewhere where our young people are forced to move away, leaving many places in rural England as simply dormitories for commuters and second home owners."



The National Housing Federation and CPRE are calling on Government to:

* publish a clear timetable outlining how they propose to respond to the Rural Housing Commission's findings;

* ensure that rural housing is recognised explicitly in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review;

* ensure that Professor John Hills's review of social housing includes rural housing as an explicit part of its brief; and

* require any new body created by the proposed merger of English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation to have a specific rural housing remit, reflected in its funding priorities.


Protect Rural England: Build an Affordable Home sets out the steps needed to increase supply of affordable rural housing.

1. More public investment in affordable rural housing.

2. More effective planning so that local council planners provide enough sites with planning permissions.

3. Secure mixed communities in thriving rural settlements with a range of house types and a range of residents living close to flourishing businesses, so that people don't have to commute long distances

4. Better use of existing buildings - affordable housing supply could be increased through a targeted programme to reduce empty property in rural areas, reducing VAT on refurbishment work from 17.5% to the 5% level applied to new build.

5. Build to high environmental and design standards, so that new rural homes - be they private sector or affordable - enhance rural communities and contribute to protecting the environment as well as keeping down running costs.

6. Restraint on the Right to Buy in rural areas of acute housing pressure, with equity shares considered as an alternative.

7. Ensuring enough social rented homes are built - the Affordable Rural Housing Commission suggests there is a need for 7,600 social rented homes a year in rural areas, as well as an increase in low cost home ownership.


NOTES TO EDITORS

The full Charter Protect Rural Engalnd: Build an Affordable Home is at the end of this news release.

For media enquiries and case studies contact:

At the CPRE:
Neil Sinden, Director of Policy,
020 7981 2831 or 07739 332795, neils@cpre.org.uk Nick Schoon, Communications Director, 020 7981 2816 or 07739 332796, nicholass@cpre.org.uk.

At the National Housing Federation:
John Goulding, 020 7067 1029 / 07771 663093, johng@housing.org.uk Joe Dumont, 020 7067 1028 / 07990 638946, josephd@housing.org.uk

The National Housing Federation represents 1,400 independent, not-for-profit housing associations in England. Together, our members provide 2 million affordable homes for around 5 million people. www.housing.org.uk

iN business for neighbourhoods is a long-term project to improve the performance of housing associations and challenge negative perceptions of the sector and its customers. www.inbiz.org

CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England by encouraging the sustainable use of land and other natural resources in town and country. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Sir Max Hastings. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen.
www.cpre.org.uk

The Affordable Rural Housing Commission was launched on 20 July 2005 to identify ways of improving access to affordable housing for people in rural areas. The Affordable Housing Commission has now published its final report which sets out the Commission's recommendations to address this issue. http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/housing/commission/


AFFORDABLE RURAL HOUSING CHARTER:
PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND: BUILD AN AFFORDABLE HOME FULL TEXT

Where we are now
Unless we act now, in a generation rural communities will become places where only the very rich are able to live - to the detriment of the health, vitality and economy of the countryside. With average rural incomes at £17,400 and average rural house prices standing at £172,500 local people currently would need to borrow 9.9 times their salary to afford their own home.(1) This is both unaffordable and unsustainable.

The inevitable consequences are being felt. Between 1999 and 2003 the proportion of homeless households in rural areas increased by 24% - in remote areas the increase was even higher at 30%.(2) In some rural districts of the East Midlands the number of homeless people on waiting lists rose fourfold during the same period and in 2001/2 31% of those living in temporary accommodation in the region were in rural communities.(3)

House prices have risen dramatically in rural areas, while affordable housing programmes have been decreasing. In the South West Regional Planning Guidance set a minimum target of 6,000 new affordable homes in 2004. Only 3,391 were delivered while private builders produced 14,672 new homes - 3% above their target.(4)

What the countryside needs
There is an urgent need to increase the provision of affordable housing in rural settlements. Significant numbersof people who play an important role in rural communities are unable to afford to live in villages and market towns.

Sustainable rural communities require a range of housing in order to thrive, prosper and adapt to change. There is a serious shortfall in the affordable housing sector. The Affordable Rural Housing Commission believes that a minimum of 11,000 new affordable homes are needed each year in r