Demand for rural affordable homes soars

Nearly 700,000 people are stuck on waiting lists for an affordable home in rural England, according to the National Housing Federation and Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

The number of people waiting for an affordable home in country areas has soared by 37% over the past five years, up from 507,757 in 2003, to 695,735 last year.

The situation has become so serious that the two campaigning groups are today launching a charter, “Save Rural England, Build Affordable Homes”, which contains an eight point blueprint, setting out how the supply of affordable homes could be significantly increased in rural communities.

David Orr, Federation chief executive said: “The rural housing crisis is intensifying rapidly, with more and more people being priced out of the market and having to live in cramped and unsuitable conditions.”

On average, 14,494 people have been added to housing waiting lists in rural areas over the last four years.

Figures released by CPRE and the Federation have exposed the scale of the crisis. The show that the proportion of homeless households in rural areas has more than doubled over the last five years, from 16% to 37% of the national total.

“Without urgent action by ministers, many of our villages are in danger of becoming the preserve of the rich and weekend playgrounds for second home owners, with schools, pubs and post offices at risk of closure because of a lack of customers,” warned Mr Orr.

He added: “Ministers need urgently to implement the key recommendations in the Federation and CPRE joint action plan if they are to help those in need of an affordable rural home.”