New policy on rural areas from Defra and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will shift the provision of affordable housing in rural areas up a gear, according to the Countryside Agency. 
Countryside Agency Archive

Breadcrumbs

Step change for rural housing - 13 December 2004

The forthcoming planning guidelines (PPG3) will contain both policies of allocating sites solely for affordable housing and retaining the existing ‘exception site’* approach.

Commenting on the policy shift Dr Stuart Burgess, chairman of the Countryside Agency, said: “This is the plan led approach that we have been calling for. It brings affordable rural housing delivery into mainstream planning rather than through an ad-hoc opportunistic way.   The next step now is to ensure that local planning authorities are aware of how they can implement this valuable new policy of allocating sites solely for affordable housing.  

“We know this approach can work. The Countryside Agency has been working closely with Wealdon District Council in East Sussex to pilot allocating sites solely for affordable housing.   Wealdon have already achieved recognition for their pro-active and innovative approach by being shortlisted for Beacon Council Status.

“The shortage of affordable housing is a huge issue for rural communities, and current planning policies are not delivering the amount of affordable housing currently needed in rural areas to ensure sustainable, mixed rural communities.   We know that both exception sites and quota policies are important but the opportunities are limited.   Where there is little or even no open market housing development as is the case in many rural areas (especially AONBs and National Parks) the amount of affordable housing that can be delivered through quota policies is therefore extremely limited.   Similarly exception sites provide an ad-hoc solution but rely on a willing landowner and are notoriously slow to progress. 

Dr Burgess continued “Instead of this reliance on an opportunistic approach, the allocation of sites solely for affordable housing gives the opportunity for a plan led approach that tackles many of the difficulties associated with exception sites.

“It is of course, still only one tool that local planning authorities can use as part of a suite of policies - but it should be a very important tool”. Concluded Dr Burgess.

-ends-

Notes for editors

For more information or an interview with Dr Burgess please contact the Countryside Agency press office on 0207 340 2907/9.  

The Countryside Agency is the statutory body working to make the quality of life better for people in the countryside and the quality of the countryside better for everyone.    It is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.    More information at www.countryside.gov.uk

Contacts at Wealdon DC:

Ashley Brown, Director (Rural Affordable Housing and Related Projects), Wealden District Council, email: ashley.brown@wealden.gov.uk; telephone: 01892 602761

Amanda Hodge, Housing Policy and Performance Manager, Wealden District Council, email: amanda.hodge@wealden.gov.uk; telephone: 01323 443278

A progress note on the work of Wealdon DC is available on the CA website www.countryside.gov.uk

* ‘Exception sites’ - where there is a demonstrable lack of affordable housing to meet local needs, PPG3 enables local planning authorities to include a rural exception policy in their plans.   This enables them to grant planning permission for affordable housing on small sites, which the local plan would not otherwise release for housing.