Affordable Housing


New Initiative: Rural Affordable Housing in Cheshire

A new initiative has been put in place across rural Cheshire to tackle the challenging task of providing affordable housing. Two specialist Rural Housing Enablers (RHEs) have been appointed to assist in the delivery of affordable housing.

The Rural Housing Enablers are currently funded by DEFRA. Bob Vass is the RHE for East Cheshire (covering Macclesfield, Crewe and Nantwich and Congleton) and Phil Addison is the RHE for West Cheshire (covering Chester, Vale Royal and Ellesmere Port and Neston). Their role is to raise awareness and promote affordable housing in rural areas.

How do they undertake this?

They work with Parish Councils, local communities, housing associations, local planning authorities and others explaining what affordable housing means and helping to deliver it to the satisfaction of all concerned.

Rural Affordable Housing Issues

The dramatic rise in house prices has led not only to first time buyers but also people on modest incomes being priced out of the market in rural areas. Yet these are just the people who often work in key service areas or contribute greatly to the local community. We do not want people with an established connection to a Parish to be forced to move away from the community in which they have lived and contributed.

Affordable housing is property that is provided for people that meet specific criteria whom, despite a wish to remain in an area, can’t afford to buy or rent a property in their local area because of high property prices or high rental prices.

The type of housing that might be made available includes shared ownership properties and reduced cost rental properties. Agreements are put in place to ensure properties remain affordable in the future.

Some of the misapprehensions about rural affordable housing are:

  1. Concern that the village will be swamped with undesirables from outside the area.
    Agreements may be put in place to ensure the new affordable housing will give preference to local people with a local connection. Local people who belong to the village and contribute to it can afford to stay in the village.

  2. The area does not need affordable housing.
    Borough wide Housing Needs Surveys show a general need in rural areas for affordable housing. A more detailed local Parish Housing Needs Survey can identify the nature and extent of any need within the Parish.

  3. There is no possible location around here.
    Most locations are unsuitable for one reason or another. The Rural Housing Enablers will work with all concerned to try and find any suitable location and negotiate its use for affordable housing provision. In some areas it may not be possible to find a site but they will endeavour to help find one.

  4. This will just open the floodgates to more new housing.
    This is absolutely not the case. Provision of affordable housing in rural areas is an exception to planning policy.

  5. The character of the village will disappear under a large number of “jerry built” social housing.
    We are not talking about large estates but simply a few properties. Property built will have to be in keeping with the locality. Affordable housing does not mean low quality and all new housing will be built to appropriate standards.

  6. The new homes will cause a traffic blackspot.
    If local people work with developers and the local authority they may request the improvement of the road system as a condition of granting consent.

  7. The value of existing property will drop considerably.
    Market house prices will not be affected, as proven in existing schemes. You will not be able to establish it is affordable housing just by looking at it.

  8. Affordable housing can’t work – what happens when the house is sold on?
    In rural schemes you cannot own these properties outright under a Right to Buy scheme or similar as part of a binding contract for all present and future owners of a property.

  9. Local services will collapse under the strain of coping with so many new residents.
    Many local services are under threat in rural areas and more residents can help services continue and even improve because of the existence of an available workforce.

If you would like further information on affordable rural housing in Cheshire or are seeking advice on a particular issue relating to affordable housing, please contact Bob or Phil on the details below according to which District you live in.

Contact details:

Bob Vass – Crewe & Nantwich, Macclesfield and Congleton.
Municipal Buildings,
Earle Street, Crewe,
Cheshire, CW1 2BJ
Tel: 01270 537047
bob.vass@crewe-nantwich.gov.uk

Phil Addison – Vale Royal, Chester, Ellesmere Port & Neston.
Vale Royal Borough Council,
The Drumber, Winsford,
Cheshire, CW7 1AH
Tel: 01606 867795
paddison@valeroyal.gov.uk