Matthew Taylor MP's report into rural economies and affordable housing was published. The review, commissioned by the Prime Minister, finds that long term under supply of housing in rural areas is holding our rural communities back.
It recommends a new drive to boost rural jobs and community led affordable housing through enterprise hubs, greater home working, neighbourhood extensions to market towns, rural exception sites for local people in villages, and an experimental restriction of second homes in national parks.
Housing Minister Caroline Flint commented that the Government agrees with the core principles of the report and will take further measures to boost rural enterprise and affordable housing. She welcomed specific recommendations to ensure that planning policy on economic development reflects the needs of rural areas, as well as Matthew Taylor's proposal for positive planning to ensure that larger settlements maximise sustainability and design quality.
The Government is however yet to be convinced that a restriction of second homes would be either workable or deliver the intended benefits, when there are more innovative ways of providing the affordable housing rural communities need without limiting the rights of second home owners.
The Prime Minister asked Matthew Taylor, MP for Truro and St Austell, to conduct a review on how land use and planning can better support rural business and deliver affordable housing.
Matthew Taylor has explored how these issues can be addressed - within the context of existing protection for the natural environment - through the application of land use and planning policy. His particular terms of reference were:
Ministers will look at the recommendations in detail and give them careful consideration before publishing a full response later in the year.
With small housing associations (being those with up to 1,000 homes) making up 78% of all providers of social housing, and over 1,300 of them registered with the Housing Corporation, a new report sets out to uncover whether the needs for support and guidance of small associations are being met.
The research, commissioned by the Housing Corporation and undertaken by Campbell Tickell, makes many recommendations and also identifies key areas associations believe need addressing.
The key recommendations in the report focus on:
To strengthen governance, the report suggests a range of ways associations can ensure a strong and experienced board:
The key areas associations said they need the most help with are:
The full report and leaflets summarising the research and signposting associations to useful websites are now available on the Housing Corporation website.
