The NAEA has formed a body to specifically champion property issues affecting rural areas...

At its first meeting, the Rural Practice Forum welcomed the recent move by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) to review the planning process but issued a stark warning that the changes need to be made quickly. 

At present housing in the countryside destined for social housing and shared equity schemes is not being built quickly enough to plug the gap in the bottom of the housing market and ensure people on limited incomes are getting a fair deal.

Property in rural areas is being squeezed and previous government initiatives such as "Rural Exempt Zones" are being executed too slowly to stop rural areas emptying of their traditional communities as young singletons and families are forced out due to lack of affordable housing and rising house prices.

Fast track planning process needed

Spokesman for the Rural Practice Forum, Richard Copus, said, "I live in a small village and I have young people come crying to me because they can’t afford to live in the village they grew up in.  This means villages on either side that might have available housing are also being squeezed as people try and move to cheaper areas, meaning their young people move even further afield.  It’s a very bad state of affairs.

"More and more rural communities have earmarked suitable sites for social housing on land where planning permission for ordinary housing would be refused but the bureaucratic process means that it is taking around 6 years from initiation to commencement of construction of these homes. 

“It should not be beyond the grasp of government to fast track the planning process for what it accepts as being an exception to the standard planning process already.  When located and designed well these properties are of positive benefit to the countryside and help to keep the village shop, school and pub afloat, as well as taking pressure off the first time buyer market.”

“We need some action now before the people intended for these houses have left the area in desperation to find an affordable home and the historic link with their communities has been lost.”