Affordable rural housing: making it happen
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 Housing Corporation Feasibility Study Training
and supportPlanning Delivery Grant Rural Excellence Programme Rural Excellence Learning Opportunity |
Leadership at all levels is needed to make the case for development of rural affordable housing and for decision makers and communities to recognise they have to meet housing needs.
The ARHC acknowledged the passion and energy that some local authorities, housing associations and members have put into addressing rural affordable housing needs, but that this has not been universal. It recommended a range of measures to increase the skills, knowledge and expertise of all those involved.
The Government is committed to improving access for all to decent accommodation
at an affordable price. It recognises that key to making this happen in
rural communities are the rural communities themselves: landowners must
make land available; local planning authorities must make full use of
the powers at their disposal; local people must support appropriate development.
Housing Corporation Feasibility Study
The final report of the ARHC identified that existing best practice in the provision of affordable rural homes was not replicated across all rural areas. Barriers and blockages at the local level were preventing progress.
On 14th of June at the Commission for Rural Communities affordable rural housing conference, we announced a new study exploring the feasibility of a new funding programme to empower local delivery bodies to overcome such local barriers. See: www.defra.gov.uk/news/2007/070614a.htm
The new study is being carried out by the Housing Corporation, having run a consultation between 21 August and 13 November. If a new funding programme is found to be needed, such a fund would not be prescriptive with regards to particular delivery models. These could include existing mechanisms, such as Rural Housing Enablers, or new approaches based on local conditions and knowledge. Any new fund would be subject to the outcomes of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Training and support
The Government has introduced the Planning Delivery Grant (PDG), the purpose of which is to provide an incentive to authorities to improve planning performance, by rewarding them across a range of planning functions, and as a result to improve the delivery of new housing.
We have funded from the PDG the creation of the Planning Advisory Service (PAS), which is hosted by IDeA. Rural local authorities and National Parks Authorities can approach PAS and see if they could run a training programme as suggested by the Commission. For example in 2006/07 Government gave £2 million of non-ringfenced money to the Planning Advisory Service, which provides training, support and shared good practice to local planning authorities.
We have created the Academy
for Sustainable Communities (ASC). This is a national organisation
charged with promoting the skills and knowledge required by young people, communities and
professionals to deliver sustainable communities in England.
Current projects include a cross occupational learning programme for professionals in Lincolnshire and the development of an action learning set in Cornwall. The ASC website at http://www.ascskills.org.uk will become a major information store for sustainable communities practioners in urban and rural areas alike.
Through the Rural Excellence Programme we have
worked with IDeA to provide a mentoring programme for rural local authorities
to help share good practice and develop approaches that improve the delivery
of services and affordable housing in rural areas. www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=689771
The second round of the Rural Excellence Programme focuses on affordable rural housing and the role of parish councils. Work on specific projects began in April 2007.
We continue to support the Quality Parish Council
scheme through the Rural Social and Community Programme, which also encourages
rural communities to produce parish plans. A new Parish Planning toolkit was launched in January 2007, see: www.acre.org.uk/zPROJECT_ParishPlans.htm
Defra has commissioned research into the integration of parish plans into local government frameworks. The research project was published in July 2007.
In March 2007, the Rural Services Beacon Councils were awarded funding to develop guidance for local authorities to work with parish planners. In addition the Beacon Councils will offer mentoring to other local authorities. The four Rural Services Beacon Councils are Bradford, West Berkshire, South Somerset and Shropshire.
Another means to developing and sharing best practice is through local authority pathfinders who test practical ways of improving local delivery. There are 8 Rural Delivery Pathfinders which came about through the Defra Rural Strategy 2004 and they pilot innovative new approaches to delivering rural policy and tackling social exclusion - addressing social, economic and environmental issues. Affordable rural housing is such an issue that can be tackled in this way, and housing projects are taking place in the Hampshire and Lancashire pathfinders. Find out more at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/ruraldelivery/pathfinders/default.htm and see case study 
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Planning
Delivery Grant
The Government has already finalised the Planning Delivery Grant 2007/08 first tranche allocations. These were based partly on development control performance and support for authorities in areas of low housing demand. The second tranche has been provisionally announced. This includes development control performance, plan-making and the delivery of new houses.
PDG comes to an end in 2007/08. Government has consulted on a new Housing and Planning Delivery Grant to replace it, but the size and scope of this grant will be decided in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review
Rural Excellence Programme
During 2006 - 2007 we will support IDeA to run a Rural Excellence Programme whose focus will be to support rural local authorities improve the supply of affordable housing in rural areas. This will draw on the experience of the award winning Beacon Councils.
Over the next few months we will commission work that will highlight best practice and identify barriers to the integration of parish plans into statutory planning and service delivery systems.
Learning opportunity for rural councils - Strategic Housing Action Learning Sets
The Rural Excellence programme is offering a personal and organisational development opportunity in order to build capacity in the strategic housing functions of rural councils. Action learning sets will allow participants to
- come together with others facing similar challenges
- share real problems, explore solutions and to decide on the action to take and
- receive targeted support whilst using the participant's knowledge to support others
Rural Excellence action learning sets are offered in three different regional locations and across five specialist interest themes within strategic housing. The location and theme which best meets individual needs can be chosen. Places are highly subsidised and Set meetings start in September 2007. Visit the IDeA website www.idea.gov.uk/rurallearning for details on how to join, dates, themes, locations and costs.
Page last
modified: 14 December 2007
Page published: 20 September 2006