Rural Housing Week: why do rural communities need affordable local needs housing?

07^th July, 2025

Author:

sarah brooke-taylor

🏘️ Keeping communities together

Without affordable housing, young people and families are often priced out of the villages they grew up in.
This leads to population ageing and the loss of multi-generational community ties.

👩‍⚕️ Supporting local services

Affordable homes help retain key workers like carers, gardeners, teachers, shop staff, and farm workers.
These workers are essential to keeping amenities such as schools, pubs and shops running in rural areas, as well as supporting our ageing population.

🧓 Helping older residents downsize

Many older people want to stay in their community to take advantage of established support networks, but need smaller, more manageable homes.
Affordable housing, and particularly bungalows, can provide accessible options that will free up larger homes for families.

🚗 Reducing car dependency

If people can’t afford to live near where they work or access services, they’re forced to commute long distances.
Local housing reduces traffic, emissions, and isolation – especially important where public transport is limited.

🧭 Sustaining rural economies

Affordable housing helps to maintain a balanced population, which is crucial for the economic vitality of rural areas.
It supports local businesses, farming, and tourism by ensuring a stable workforce.

🏗️ Identifying ‘Local Need’

To answer some of the above issues, many rural parishes conduct Housing Needs Surveys. These surveys usually show a demand for affordable homes and, if the community supports the development of ‘Local needs’ homes, priority is given to people with a strong connection to the area.

To help your community understand the local need for affordable homes, please contact our Rural Housing Enablers to arrange a Housing Needs Survey: housing@wrccrural.org.uk / 01789 842182