Rural housing case study: Shropshire

Head of policy and strategy, Jake Berriman, says 8,000 people are waiting for affordable homes in the county. Since implementing its changes, 460 affordable homes were built last year - just over a third of properties built (1,265) .

“Even though PPS3 encouraged affordable rural housing and the use of exception sites, it wasn’t happening in an even way across Shropshire,” says Jake.

One example was in the former Oswestry borough council area (Shropshire’s borough and district councils have recently merged) where there were no exception site developments. In the south Shropshire area, he pioneered some policy changes and about 40 affordable homes were built, developed by individuals for themselves, forming the basis of what has now been extended county-wide.

The first step was to develop a housing strategy committed to affordable housing, followed by practical guidance to support it.

“This demonstrated we would accept single self-build projects on land within a settlement - and take a broad view of what ‘within’ means.”

It could be a small hamlet of just six houses, for example, he says. Planning permission would include a legal agreement ensuring the house remained ‘affordable’ in perpetuity.

“The policy was adopted in June 2009 and we already have a number of units in planning and construction,” he says.

The council has employed specialist staff to find potential sites for multiple affordable homes, and to work with housing associations to identify and solve problems.

As yet it is unclear what money will be coming in from HCA to finance projects post 2011.

“Our objective is to keep sites coming forward,” he says. The council recently contributed to the Government’s draft guidance on incentivising landowners to bring land forward for development.

“We are comfortable with the proposal to give landowners nomination rights and the ability to maintain the freehold of the land,” he explains.

He recently met with CLA president, William Worsley, to discuss the issues and agrees with the association’s ideas. except allowing open market housing on rural exception sites. “That is a step too far in planning terms,” he says.

An alternative idea he has put into practise in Shropshire is charging a fee to landowners who want to convert barns to sell on the open market.

The money charged will fund affordable homes, but the landowner could ‘pay’ with land instead and this would also be used for affordable housing.

The county’s approach to affordable rural housing is multi-faceted and needs to be, he says.

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