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New survey for Parish and Town Councils to find out if community-led housing might make a difference (19 October 2016)

Date: 19/10/2016
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, New survey for Parish and Town Councils to find out if community-led housing might make a difference

Selby Council has announced that Rural Action Yorkshire and the North and East Yorkshire Rural Housing Enabler Network (RHE Network) have launched a new survey for Parish and Town Councils to find out if community-led housing might make a difference in their village or town.

The survey is part of a project to help communities look at solving the problem of the lack of affordable, good quality housing in their own village or market town, by taking forward community-led housing solutions.

Community-led housing schemes are becoming more popular across the UK, but to date only one scheme has been identified in North and East Yorkshire. The project aims to identify further scheme by encouraging more communities to consider community-led housing solutions.

Selby Council says that community-led housing allows people and communities to lead in providing their own housing solutions – creating sustainable, affordable and lasting homes and building resilient and confident local communities.

The schemes also help people develop new skills – and current models include self-help housing, co-housing, cooperatives, community land trusts and community self-build.

Schemes meet long-term local housing needs by the community exercising full control over how and where the homes are provided and retaining a legal and/or financial interest in them, ensuring they will be available to local people who need them and at a price they can afford.

Chief Officer at Rural Action Yorkshire, Leah Swain, said:

“The shortage of affordable housing is a major issue, yet many communities are concerned about commercial developers building houses that do not meet the needs of the local residents.

“These commercial developments are often large luxury builds, with only a small number of affordable homes.

“Many rural communities would be much more receptive to considering new housing developments if the resulting homes met local housing needs and were of the right size and type for local people.

“We need more genuinely affordable homes, both for growing young families – and for those later in life for people to downsize to.

“A good mix of affordable housing supports a diverse and mixed-aged community, which in turn helps keep local shops, post offices, pubs and schools open.”


The survey will remain open for responses until the 31 October 2016.

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