Can we stop the countryside becoming a retreat for the rich and retired?
This think piece by Martin Collett (operations director at the English Rural Housing Association) not only sets out plight of people unable to afford to live in the countryside thus lacking a mixture of income earners and age groups; he also has a radical solution. Collett writes: The answer to the problem is simple but unpopular – build more homes that local people can afford. If each parish in England were to provide just a dozen new homes, it would add up to around 125,000 new homes and have a major impact on the problems faced in rural areas. Few parishes would struggle to accommodate this many new homes and, given the potential gains for the community, surely the sacrifice of a small field corner would be worth it. Political focus and planning policies designed to tackle the need for more affordable homes continue to emphasise urban solutions to rural problems. Even with flexibilities designed into the planning system, the resistance against change is overwhelming, with those averse to new homes mobilising at the mere mention of the word development, often hiding behind a thin veil of conservationism. Even rural settlements have changed over the generations. Conserving the countryside doesn’t mean freeze framing a rural idyll, but facing up to challenges threatening the people who make the countryside what it is.