The Affordable Rural Housing Commission (ARHC) has called for some private development to provide the first rung on the housing ladder and to generate cross-subsidies to pay for extra affordable housing.
Its study wants councils to be more ambitious in extracting planning gain from private developers, a view likely to run counter to the opinion of the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
The ARHC said an “impact” tax charged to those owning second homes in the countryside would give local people a better chance of getting a foot on the housing ladder.
And it called for restrictions on right-to-buy to ensure more subsidised homes remain affordable in perpetuity.
It says a minimum of 11,000 homes a year are needed in market towns and villages.
The figure is 50% higher than current levels.
The Independent’s property supplement profiles the Accordia affordable housing scheme in Cambridge.
References: Financial Times 17/05/06 page 3, The Daily Telegraph 17/05/06 page 12, The Independent (Property) 17/05/06 page 22
