Rural Affordable Housing

​​The shortage of affordable homes in rural areas is not simply a housing problem. It is a broader issue of community sustainability. Without suitable homes, young people are forced to move away, keyworkers struggle to remain local, and villages risk becoming hollowed out by ageing populations and second-homes.

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Planning policy secures affordable housing on all major sites (above 10 homes) although it is not usually prioritised for people in the village where it is built. Affordable housing is limited and therefore allocated according to housing need. Priority is given to applicants in the highest housing need. 

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However, planning policy allows local authorities to grant planning permission for new affordable homes on land that would not normally be permitted for housing.  These sites are known as rural exception sites.​

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​​The allocation rules are different for exception sites. The highest priority is given to someone with a local connection to the Parish.​

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Supporting and delivering rural exception sites ensures people with a direct local connection to the village are priortised.

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