Rural Housing

The viability of many of Kent's rural communities relies on maintaining a balanced community that supports everyone living in it - children, young people, families and older residents alike. High property prices and the loss of rented accommodation through the "right to buy" legislation has meant that many people with connections to Kent's villages are living in unsuitable accommodation or have been forced to leave in search of a suitable and affordable home elsewhere.

Developing affordable housing is one of the crucial issues that influences the economic and social strength of rural communities, and is a major contributor to long-term community sustainability.

"Affordable rural housing" (or Local Needs Housing) is housing that:

Is developed and managed by a Housing Association and made available for rent or shared ownership.
Is made available to people who have strong connections to a village.
Remains affordable for local people in perpetuity (cannot be sold on the open market).
Is a small development, sensitively designed to be in keeping with the character of the village.
Can help a community remain thriving and sustainable.
Enables families to remain living in close proximity and provide support to each other.

What it is NOT:

Affordable rural housing is not available to people from the local authority's general housing register unless they have a strong connection to the village.
Used to move residents en-bloc from urban areas into rural areas.

How can our Rural Housing Enablers can help you?

We can assist Parish Councils and rural communities by providing independent impartial advice and support.
We can help identify if there is a need for affordable housing in your village by undertaking a housing needs survey.
We can help identify suitable sites and liaise with the Planning Authority
We can establish partnerships between Parish Councils, local authorities and housing associations to develop a local needs housing scheme
We can help with community consultation by working in partnership with the Parish Planning Team at Action with Communities in Rural Kent.

Further information for Parish Councils and community groups is available, request a pack.

Contact Tessa O'Sullivan our Rural Housing Enabler, on 01303 813790, or use our enquiry form.

The National Housing Federation has produced an excellent booklet entitled "Affordable housing keeps villages alive". This has been produced in partnership with The Countryside Alliance, The Commission for Rural Communities, CPRE and our umbrella body ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England). You can download a copy of this booklet by clicking on the cover picture below (left).

Just a few suitably designed affordable homes in the right location can make a real difference to the viability of village services. Town and Parish councillors are in an ideal position to influence this. The National Housing Federation’s Rural Housing Alliance has developed a guide to help answer some of the frequently asked questions about affordable rural housing and the development process, dispel common misconceptions, and champion the role that parish and town councils play. You can download a copy of this booklet by clicking on the cover picture below (right).

If you are an individual looking for affordable accommodation please contact your District, Borough or unitary Council for further advice.

"Inside Housing" Visits Preston

Chief Exec Keith Harrison and Rural Housing Enabler Tessa O'Sullivan took a writer from Inside Housing magazine along to Preston near Canterbury to meet local people and discuss "localism" and how new legislation may affect the provision of housing in rural villages. Read the article at www.bit.ly/fmom98

The Passivhaus Standard

Buildings constructed to the "Passivhaus Standard" use almost no energy for heating and ventilation and are therefore very energy efficient. We have been promoting a series of conferences in Kent to promote the use of this standard when building affordable, low cost homes. You can read an article on the first of these conferences together with useful links to suppliers and other information sources by clicking here.