FEW doubt that housing has become one of the top domestic headline issues of the day in the country.
On one hand fewer people can afford to buy homes on the open market and the rise of the landlord has priced many out of the rental market, but on the other there is a strong backlash against building hundreds of homes across England’s fair and pleasant land.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Wiltshire. As recently employed rural housing enablers, funded by the Department of the Environment, Farming, and Rural Affairs, Trevor Cherrett and Steve Vaux are helping rural communities in the county address their housing needs by conducting surveys, talking to parish councils, and helping them find ways in which they can build affordable homes for local people.
“This is about local communities taking more control of their future” says Trevor. “Whether its working with a local housing association, negotiating with a developer, or setting up a community land trust to purchase a site and provide homes that meet local needs directly, local communities can do so much to make sure that housing is in the right place and at the right scale and design.”
Steve Vaux has been through the process himself as chairman of the Seend Community Land Trust. “We formed a small group of people concerned about the lack of homes for local people and set up a Community Land Trust to find a suitable site, select a suitable developer (White Horse Housing) and obtain planning permission. It wasn’t easy-peasy, but the policies and regulations are in place to make it happen” he explains. “Building low energy passivhouses, low-energy consuming homes, means homes are both sustainable for the future with people gaining from lower running costs.”
Neighbourhood Development Plans play a key role in supporting and promoting modest housing schemes to meet local needs. And it is essential that Parish Councils provide strong support. Trevor and Steve are part of a national Rural Housing Enabler project set up in March 2024, and experience so far shows that one of the keys to success has been the strength of support and promotion provided by the local community through parish councils.
With a new government intent on building more houses, it is imperative that they are built in the right place to meet the needs of local communities. Parish Councils can do so much to help make this happen. And Trevor and Steve are here in Wiltshire to provide advice and support.
To contact them email Wiltshire Community Led Housing at: info@wiltshirecommunityledhousing.org.uk or call 01380 722475.