Action In Rural Sussex

Rural Housing

The Need for Rural Affordable Housing

There is an acute shortage of affordable homes in rural areas of Sussex. This has a significant impact on the sustainability of rural communities.

With the high cost of house prices in rural villages, many local families and single people are forced to move out of the area to find a property they can afford.

Without suitable affordable properties in rural areas the social character of the villages change. Rural areas of Sussex often have high proportions of older and wealthier people. Many key services in rural areas such as transport, schools and shops often made less viable as people with these characteristics do not use them or use alternatives.

Action in rural Sussex employs a small Rural Housing Enabling team who can provide support and impartial advice to Parish Councils and rural communities on how they can get affordable housing that meets the needs of local people. The Sussex Rural Housing Enabling team is led by Tom Warder (Senior Rural Housing Enabler)

New rural helpline goes live!

For all enquiries concerning:

Village Halls and Community Builidngs
Action Planning
Rural Affordable Housing

ring 0845 873 6165

The key roles of the Rural Housing Enabling team are to:

Act as an "honest broker" to facilitate the often lengthy and complex process of developing affordable housing schemes in rural areas to encourage sustainable communities;
Meet the needs of those people who would not be able to afford accommodation on the open market;
Work closely with village communities, Parish Councils, District Councils, Housing Associations, landowners, farmers and anyone else involved in the process of providing affordable housing;
Identify local need through housing needs surveys;
Assist with site identification in parishes where there is a proven affordable housing need;
Carry out research, policy analysis, and lobbying on rural housing issues;
Promote wider initiatives such as the use of empty properties, foyer schemes and meeting needs for supported housing.

If you would like further information about working towards getting affordable housing developed in your parish, please contact the Sussex Rural Housing Enabling team using the contact details below.

Resources and Publications

Action in rural Sussex publications

Further information on the step-by-step process of working towards developing affordable housing can be found in the ‘Meeting affordable housing needs in rural communities - a good practice guide’. To obtain a copy, please contact Tom Warder.

Where are we working?

We currently have an active work programme in both East and West Sussex and are working in partnership with Hastoe Housing Association, English Rural Housing Association, Saxon Weald and Raglan.