Affordable housing in rural areas is set to be given a boost with a new government fund package worth £2.5m to support rural communities and developers.
The fund, announced on Friday (10 November), aims to support independent advisors working with rural communities to develop affordable housing schemes.
Advisors will identify suitable development opportunities and support site owners and community representatives to navigate the planning system.
According to the Defra, the funding package will create developments in rural areas that 'meet the needs of local people'.
The scheme is being delivered in conjunction with Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE).
The first payments have been awarded to local partners in Cambridgeshire and Northumberland, with other projects set to be announced across England next year.
Rural Affairs Minister Lord Benyon said: "All too often people are unable to live near to the village where they work or were brought up. We are making it a priority that rural communities have access to the housing they need.
"Our support for rural housing advisors will help develop small scale affordable housing schemes that fit in with the local area."
Richard Quallington, ACRE’s executive director, said the new funding package was 'hugely positive' news for rural areas.
"It will mean many more communities can access independent support and advice to help them appraise the need for affordable homes locally, navigate complicated planning rules and work with more socially minded developers to bring forward suitable schemes.”
In the first payments, £81,000 is being awarded in Northumberland to Community Action Northumberland and a payment of £93,000 is being made in Cambridgeshire to Cambridgeshire ACRE.
It will enable the creation of a new Rural Housing Enabler scheme in Northumberland and the expansion of an existing Rural Housing Enabler project in Cambridgeshire.
