06 June 2008
Social landlords and local authority planners must step up their efforts to tackle the housing crisis facing rural Wales, says a new report.
Proposals put forward this week by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation include more private borrowing by housing associations and a purge on empty properties.
According to a commission set up by the foundation, the average house price in rural Wales is more than five times the average income. About 25,000 households are on council waiting lists in these areas. While 2,865 homes were built for social renting in rural authorities during the past ten years, 10,217 homes were lost through right to buy sales, says its report, published on June 4.
Last year, the Welsh Assembly pledged a further 6,500 affordable homes by 2011, but the commission says they should be tailored to rural needs and a more constructive dialogue opened between planners and private developers. Where homes are sold to council tenants, conditions should be placed on their resale, and receipts invested in new housing.
Commission chair Derec Llwyd Morgan said communities in rural Wales risked losing the next generation of young people. 'Powers exist at both local and national level to improve the situation, but a marked response will require co-operation, innovation, strong leadership and great political will,' he said.
The commission is calling on the Assembly to draw up a database of public land with potential for development. With an estimated 18,000 vacant homes in rural areas, housing associations should be permitted to increase private borrowing and, if necessary, buy and refurbish homes that fall below the Welsh housing quality standard.
The Welsh Assembly responded by launching a £400,000 rural housing development scheme to help councils identify sites for new homes. Jocelyn Davies, the deputy minister for housing, said councils would be required to set targets for affordable housing with the right to buy suspended in some areas.
Meanwhile, the number of empty homes in England is rising for the first time in ten years. Figures from the Empty Homes Agency show vacant properties rose by 3% last year to 672,924. There were large rises in cities such as Leeds and Liverpool, and in Southwest England and the East Midlands.
PFjun2008
