Taylor Scott International News
Local authorities should work with rural estate owners to create new affordable homes, according to a new report into issues affecting the UK’s land and countryside communities. Major estates should be encouraged to release land for eight or more affordable homes and the Government should extend its city devolution agenda to include rural market towns, says the report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). It is urging landowners behind England’s 5,000 largest rural estates to release land for affordable housing and the report sets out a number of recommendations as to how central and local Government could better manage rural land and support countryside communities. These include offering measures to encourage large landowners to release space on their estates for eight or more affordable houses and that this might include partial inheritance tax exemptions, allowing heirs to avoid paying taxes on any affordable properties within the estate. It points out that at the turn of the last century, owners of Britain’s largest estates took a more patriarchal approach to the provision of affordable housing. This wasn’t entirely philanthropic as there was a common sense business motive as it resulted in a settled and readily available workforce. But affordable rural housing is fast becoming a thing of the past, the report explains, pointing out that there is a reported 76% shortfall in rural affordable housing. It argues that if rural towns and villages are to thrive, there needs to be action to ensure that workers are available to drive local economies. ‘Without becoming rose tinted, there are elements to the philanthropic approach to estate management that could benefit future generations of workers and apprentices,’ the report says. It also points out that there are some countryside communities where the average cost of a house can outstrip average annual wages 11 times over and rural poverty is a serious issue that threatens to hamper regional growth. ‘We would like to see local authorities work sympathetically with estate owners to encourage the release of land for eight or more affordable houses, based on long leaseholds, which would allow estates to retain long term interests,’ said Jeremy Blackburn, RICS head of UK policy. He explained that a similar scheme has been pioneered this year in East Devon, where Lord Clinton, the largest private landowner in the county, worked with Cornerstone Housing Association to develop 19 affordable homes in the town of Budleigh Salterton, made up of both rental and shared ownership properties. ‘To provide affordable housing for local people is an important step towards building sustainable communities. From the outset we worked with the Exeter based housing association, Cornerstone to provide the right mix of affordable homes for rent and shared ownership to enable young families to stay in Budleigh Salterton and allow this seaside town to thrive for generations to come,’ said Leigh Rix, head of property and land for Clinton Devon Estates. Blackburn added that the report also calls for a further boost for… Taylor Scott International
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