Rural housing
The HCA invests in rural areas to address problems of housing affordability and community decline.
Rural areas are some of the least affordable places to live in the country. In 2008, the government’s Living Working Countryside review of the rural economy and affordable housing found that while people working in rural areas tend to earn significantly less than those working in urban areas, rural homes are more expensive than urban homes. The popularity of rural areas and migration from urban areas add to the pressures on rural housing affordability.
Our work
Living Working Countryside sets out a vision for “flourishing, vibrant communities that will be genuinely sustainable”. We share this vision and are working with our partners to develop programmes and investments that will secure the future of our villages and market towns.
Our overall aim is to increase the country’s capacity to deliver affordable rural housing and to release surplus public sector land for the creation of affordable rural homes. We carry out research in partnership with central government to build our collective knowledge of issues facing rural communities.
As part of our commitment to rural areas, we have established a Rural Housing Advisory Group as a sub-group of the main HCA board. The advisory group which is chaired by a member of the HCA Board, ensures that rural issues remain central to our work. We are also developing a network of rural champions across the HCA regions.
See Protected Areas_HCA Explanatory note PDF (146KB) for information about legislation related to Protected Areas
Rural Housing Advisory Group
The Rural Housing Advisory Group was set up in April 2007. The group's aim is to advise Government on and seek ways to improve delivery of affordable rural housing, promoting join working between key stakeholders through the provision of a forum for sharing good practice and encouraging innovation.
More on the Rural Housing Advisory Group
Matthew Dodd
Rural Policy Manager
Matthew.Dodd@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk
Last updated: 2 December 2009