Why we need to act now on rural affordable housing

As the CEO of the Longleigh Foundation, I’ve seen first-hand how decent, affordable homes change lives – and how the absence of them can fracture health, opportunity and communities. That’s why we commissioned research to better understand the complex challenges facing the delivery of social and affordable housing in rural England. The findings, based on interviews with providers, planners, community representatives and housing experts, are clear: rural communities are being left behind – and the consequences are profound.

We launched this research because rural housing issues are too often overlooked in national debates, despite their growing urgency. It’s not just about countryside aesthetics or village character. It’s about whether younger people can afford to stay in the communities they grew up in. It’s about whether key workers can live near their jobs. It’s about keeping family and community ties strong, so people can find the support they need when life gets tough. It’s about whether local services – from pubs to post offices – can survive. And ultimately, it’s about whether rural places can remain living, working communities.

The research confirms that the rural housing crisis is being driven by a combination of high land costs, under-resourced planning systems, funding gaps, and crucially, inconsistent community engagement. One interviewee described the rural housing enablers (the people who help coordinate rural housing projects by building relationships between landowners, councils, and communities) as “the key piece of infrastructure to ensure delivery.” Yet many of these roles are often part-time, grant-reliant and under threat.

Rural exception sites – land not usually available for housing but released in response to local need – are one of the most powerful tools we have. But only one in six rural local authorities actively use them. Why? Because unlocking these sites requires coordination, trust, technical knowledge, and the time to engage communities – all of which are in short supply.
What’s also clear is that community opposition to rural housing is often more about how housing is planned and communicated than whether it should happen at all. Where residents are brought into the process early – through rural housing enablers or community land trusts – opposition can become support. People want to have a say in shaping their communities, not be told what’s happening to them.

Dr Tom Moore, from the University of Liverpool, who led the research emphasised, "There’s no shortage of commitment to rural housing among communities and providers – what’s lacking is a policy environment that recognises rural delivery as distinct and invests accordingly. This research shows that with the right tools, funding, and planning support, rural areas can deliver affordable housing that genuinely meets local need."

The good news? The report doesn’t just list the problems – these are already well documented – it offers and builds on solutions. From proposing Community Right to Buy for affordable housing, inspired by legislation in Scotland, reconfirming the need for ‘Rural Exception Site Planning Passports’ to simplify and de-risk small rural developments, to a call for targeted funding streams that reflect the higher costs of rural delivery – the recommendations are practical and rooted in real-world insight.

If we’re serious about ‘levelling up’, we can’t ignore rural England. The 1.5 million homes target set by the government is ambitious – but without a specific rural component, there’s a risk those homes won’t go where they’re most needed. And if we’re going to meet those targets, we need to support the people and partnerships that can make them happen on the ground.

Rural Housing Week is the perfect moment to refocus national attention on rural communities. Let’s make sure the homes we build reflect the whole country – not just its cities. Let’s empower communities to shape their future. And let’s ensure rural areas aren’t an afterthought, but a foundation of a more inclusive housing system.