Rural Affordable Housing

Rural communities are grappling with a severe affordable housing crisis, marked by high house prices, elevated living costs, and lower incomes, threatening their sustainability and vitality.

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12 Sep 2025

Improving the energy efficiency of socially rented homes in England

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Closed 12 September 2025 Improving the energy efficiency of socially rented homes in England ​​This...

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01 Sep 2025

Affordable Housing and Rural Transport Challenges in Lancashire

BBC North West recently reported on the difficulties faced by people living and working in the village of Silverdale, Lancashire. The coverage highlighted two issues familiar across many rural areas:...

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01 Sep 2025

RSN Joins Call To End Permitted Development Rules Costing 28,000 Affordable Homes

Campaigners from local government, housing providers, and homelessness charities have signed an open letter calling on Government to scrap permitted development rights (PDR) that have cost thousands of affordable homes....

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26 Aug 2025

Council Housing Blueprint Could Offer Rural Lifeline

A new report by Policy Exchange has called on the Government to commit to building 100,000 high-quality council homes annually—and its recommendations could have significant implications for rural areas. The...

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18 Aug 2025

Rural Housing Enablers Driving Change

A new evaluation of the Defra-funded Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) Programme has confirmed the critical role RHEs play in helping rural communities address the shortage of affordable homes. Commissioned by...

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18 Aug 2025

Data that Makes a Difference

Wednesday 17 September 2025 | 13:30 – 15:30 Part of the National Rural Conference 2025 Bookings now open for RSN members: View the full programme Behind every statistic is a...

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11 Aug 2025

£6 million boost for affordable housing in Northumberland

Northumberland County Council has secured over £6 million from the government’s Brownfield Housing Fund to deliver new affordable homes on redundant and underused sites. The funding — totalling £6.075 million...

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04 Aug 2025

Community Power at the Heart of New Rural Development

A trailblazing community business in West Sussex is demonstrating how local enterprise can help shape inclusive, resilient places — right from the start of a new development. The Woodgate Community...

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04 Aug 2025

What is a Rural Housing Enabler?

The term Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) comes up frequently in discussions about tackling the rural housing crisis—but what do they actually do? Rural Housing Enablers are independent facilitators who work...

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28 Jul 2025

Why Rural Housing Matters and Why You Should Join the Conversation

Rural Affordable Housing & Planning Tuesday 16 September 2025 | 10:00 – 12:00 Part of the National Rural Conference 2025 Bookings now open for RSN members: View the full programme...

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