Housing threat to 200 rural schools

An investigation into the housing problem in rural England concludes that the inability for people to get on the property ladder is having a knock-on effect on the rural economy and social services.

A total of 400 village shops are projected to close this year alone with scores of pubs, bus services, village halls and post offices also shutting down as they struggle to survive in the face of declining levels of people living in the countryside.

Waiting lists for affordable housing rose by 11 per cent over the past three years with nearly half a million people now awaiting affordable accommodation in Britain's countryside.

The problem is compounded by the fact that the average house in the countryside costs more than 6.5 times the average annual rural income.

And with nearly 100,000 second homes in predominantly rural areas campaigners are warning of a future services crisis in the countryside.

The stark claims are laid out in the Affordable Housing Keeps Villages Alive report, produced jointly by the Commission for Rural Communities, the Countryside Alliance, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the National Housing Federation.

The warning comes asthe Government announced plans to put communities in greater charge of local planning issues.

Elsewhere the report states that the number of people aged 75 and over in rural areas will increase by 60 per cent by 2028 and the number of people classed as disabled will double by 2021 – meaning the number of carers in the countryside will need to increase massively to cope with demand.

Ian Clyde, head of development for the Home Group in Yorkshire and Humber, which works on affordable housing projects in rural communities, said: "These statistics are alarming. There is no doubt there is an underlying need for more affordable housing.

"We try to deliver schemes where there is a specific need, whether it be for farm workers, people on low incomes or who are employed by local shops and pubs etc.

"It is important to the long term health of these villages, otherwise you have people going away to work in cities, mainly because they cannot afford to live in the villages any more.

"Everywhere needs a mixed economy with a range of ages on the workforce."

The housing study pointed towards a project that Mr Clyde's organisation was involved in at Chop Gate, a hamlet in the North York Moors National Park, as a good example of housing need being met thanks to local co-operation.

Home, along with other local organisations, worked together in creating eight homes which were occupied by local residents in need of accommodation. This included a couple whose business had to been sold as they wrestled with the effects of the recession and a young family who had moved back to the area so their family could assist with childcare.

Launching the Government's "A Community's Right to Build" programme, Housing Minister Grant Shapps said that taking the decision out of the hands of local councils and central government would end unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy.

Mr Shapps said: "Far from the Nimbyism that often hits the headlines, up and down the country there are entire communities willing and eager to give the go-ahead for new developments in their area.

"The countryside must be a vibrant place to live, and cannot be allowed to become a museum. I want to give communities the power to preserve their villages, which are currently struggling to survive because of a shortage of affordable homes."