Jill Grieve (London, The Countryside Alliance): The Countryside Alliance believes the lack of affordable housing is the greatest single threat to rural life. There simply isn't enough housing out there, and one thing on which Government, NGOs and the public alike agree on is that more stock is needed, and now.The Government has committed to building millions of new homes in rural areas, and if this can be achieved without compromising community life, and if appropriate services to meet the increase in population can be put in place, then this is to be welcomed. What we need to see are vibrant, integrated communities with new housing that people actually want to live in, rather than just hastily thrown together low-quality housing that is ill thought-through, undesirable and without adequate services and amenities.
It would be lazy thinking to blame second home owners for the lack of affordable housing for rural people - it would be unlikely that a young rural couple and a second - home-searching urban couple would be looking in the same price range, vying for the same house. In fact those buying second homes are nowhere near the nub of the problem, which is how, on average earnings of £17,400 a year, it is possible for many rural people to buy a house at all.
Many rural people are unable to buy a first home in the area where they grew up and where they work, and getting around this problem is complicated. New stock that is on the housing market may start out as affordable but, with property as most people's biggest investment, it clearly won't stay that way. How can we ensure that affordable housing remains affordable and that rural people and key workers can live where they choose?
Everyone has a right to a roof over their head, and perhaps renting rather than buying a property is a solution. Another way round the problem is the idea of the community land trust, where landowners and communities enter into an arrangement where only the building itself, and not the land, needs to be bought, keeping prices lower for locals.
Much squeaking continues to take place amongst the NIMBY ("not in my back yard") lobby who oppose new build homes in their community simply "because", and who are vehemently opposed to any building taking place on the sacrosanct greenbelt. If I were to tell you that Wolverhampton was built on greenbelt land and that a lot of scrub land is classified as "green belt", would it change your opinion? Greenbelt is not necessarily AONB (area of outstanding natural beauty) and it needn't be land that is vital for biodiversity or green spaces for leisure use. Indeed, re-appraising the greenbelt policy is a priority for the Countryside Alliance - let's not miss the point that we live on an island with limited space - we must have a pragmatic approach to development.
What is patently clear is that all planning decisions on the provision of affordable housing, jobs and services must be taken locally to ensure they meet the needs of the communities they affect. Whilst Local Authorities, planners and national policy do of course have their role to play, the Countryside Alliance is of the firm belief that there is no "one size fits all" solution to the affordable housing problem. Yes, more houses, and yes, more people in rural areas and more young families able to live and work there. But please, affordable housing provided in a creative and open manner that is properly thought through, planned and sustainable.
