On Tuesday 6 November the House of Lords Select Committee on the
Rural Economy will ask the National Housing Federation, Rural
Housing Alliance and the Federation of Master Builders how the
rural economy is affected by shortages of affordable housing in
rural areas. The Committee will also hear from academic experts and
campaign bodies on the role of the planning system.
A recent IPPR study on rural affordable housing found
that the average rural house price is around £19,000 above the
average for England and that only 8% of the housing stock in
rural areas is affordable to local people.
The Committee will ask what can be done to address
this issue, and ask about the impact that second homes and the
Right to Buy have had on the cost of rural housing. The Committee
will also ask whether the removal of the cap on local
authorities’ borrowing powers will make a difference to council
house building in rural areas. In its second session of the
morning, the Committee will explore the impact of national and
local planning policy, and ask whether neighbourhood planning
needs reform.
The Committee will begin taking evidence at
9.45am and will question:
-
Monica Burns, External
Affairs Manager and Rural Lead, National Housing
Federation
-
Chris Carr, Federation of
Master Builders
-
Martin Collett, Chairman,
Rural Housing Alliance
The second evidence session will begin at
10.45am and will question:
-
Professor Gavin
Parker, Professor of Planning Studies, University
of Reading
-
Mr Matt Thomson, Head of
Planning, Campaign to Protect Rural England
-
Mr Hugh Ellis, Interim Chief
Executive, Town and Country Planning Association
The evidence session will be held in
Committee Room 1 in the House of Lords. Other topics the
Committee are likely to cover include:
-
What is the role of neighbourhood planning in rural
housing delivery and how might take-up be further
encouraged?
-
Will the recent changes to the NPPF will deliver
for rural areas, including in terms of rural housing supply and
the delivery of rural affordable housing?
-
what are the main challenges private builders face
in delivering homes in rural locations, and how might these
challenges be addressed?
-
Could Homes England be doing more to help deliver
housing in rural areas?
