Unlock new land and empower rural communities, group urges government

Queen’s Speech must deliver new homes for rural communities, housing group says
Queen’s Speech must deliver new homes for rural communities, housing group says

The Government is being urged to use tomorrow's Queen’s Speech to help unlock land for new affordable homes in the countryside.

The Queen’s Speech, which will take place Wednesday 21 June, lays out the laws that ministers want to pass in the coming year. It is a major moment in the parliamentary diary.

The speech is likely to include the Great Repeal Bill - legislation that will convert all EU law into UK law.

One issue housing specialist organisation the Hastoe Group would like to see mentioned is the lack of housing in rural communities.

They are urging ministers to bring forward a Housing Bill to boost the number of homes in rural communities.

'Empower rural communities'

Hastoe Group Chief Executive Sue Chalkley said the Government must use the opportunity to 'empower' rural communities to build more homes and ensure the 'continued sustainability' of their communities.

She said: “This may mean incentivising rural landowners to bring forward more land through simplifying the interplay of taxes when land is made available for affordable housing, but it should also be coupled with support for landowners as they work with their local communities.

“We know from years of practice that the most successful developments are those conceived and delivered in close consultation with the local community, where the homes produced are a source of pride to all involved.

“To ensure we can build as many new community-led homes as possible it is vital that wide access to the Community Housing Fund is maintained, recognising that housing associations and rural landowners can be an important part of the solution over the long term.

Right to Buy

Miss Chalkley also said that the Government must confirm that rural communities are fully exempt from the voluntary Right to Buy for housing associations.

She continued: “The number of truly affordable homes in our villages is already too low and we cannot afford to lose more, especially as there is no guarantee that an affordable home lost to the open market will be replaced in the same community.

“The Government must act now, as the fear of the Right to Buy is already deterring rural landowners from bringing forward important rural exception sites for affordable homes.”

The Country, Land and Business Association (CLA) said last year that barriers to stop landowners keen to build and manage affordable homes in the countryside must be removed.

The organisation warned that government policies such extending the Right to Buy to housing association tenants discouraged landowners from making sites available because the homes would become unaffordable in the future.

'Reluctant'

CLA Housing Adviser Matthew O’Connell said: “The most common method for landowners to help solve the acute shortage of housing in rural areas is to sell land at a discount to housing associations to build affordable homes.

“However, since the introduction of the Voluntary Right to Buy (VRTB) many landowners are reluctant to pursue projects over concern homes will not stay affordable in perpetuity.

“Some housing associations are committed to keeping properties in the affordable sector but the policy has already meant fewer sites coming forward.

“The government must exempt Rural Exception Sites from the VRTB to restore confidence that this vital source of supply for rural affordable housing can continue.”