CRC Work : Sustainable Rural Communities in the 21st Century http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/projects/sustainableruralcommunities/ en-us Copyright 2009 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:50:02 UT Latest items from Sustainable Rural Communities in the 21st Century on http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/ Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:50:02 UT New proposals to tackle rural housing shortages http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3611 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3611 Housing Minister Iain Wright has announced new powers to help keep homes affordable for communities in rural areas.


The new measures mean that rural communities with severe housing shortages could be designated as protected areas, ensuring affordable housing is retained for local families.


Affordable housing providers in these areas will be able to retain a share in new shared ownership homes, or have the first buy back option. This will ensure these homes remain available for future families in the local community.


The new proposals could also see more people being able to cut the cost of getting on the housing ladder through Community Land Trusts.


Graham Garbutt, our Chief Executive, has welcomed the proposals:

"The lack of affordable housing continues to be the single most pressing  problem faced by rural people. This is leading to the loss of young people and  increasing age imbalance, as well as undermining the sustainability of rural  communities."

"Now is the time to be bringing forward proposals that will make a  real difference backed up with funding already allocated to provide affordable  homes in rural towns and villages."


Visit the Communities and Local Government website to find out more

]]> Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:24:10 UT Housing: Investing in Rural Futures conference http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3608 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3608 We'll be attending this Housing Corporation event about the complex challenges of ensuring the right mix of housing is delivered for rural communities.


'Housing: Investing in Rural Futures' will help ensure organisations are best placed to benefit from the forthcoming changes in affordable housing provision and regeneration, as well as making sure you are fully appraised in the latest rural housing policy.

Communities and Local Government have issued a press release to coincide with the conference. The release includes a quote from Graham Garbutt our Chief Executive calling for urgent action to bring forward proposals that will make a real difference to the rural affordable housing challenge.

Visit the event website to find out more



]]> Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:39:51 UT How our villages are fighting to stay alive http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3511 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3511 The Observer has used our research to show how villages in rural England are changing.


In an interview with the paper, Stuart Burgess, our chair and the Government's Rural Advocate, highlights how technology is allowing high levels of innovation, creating 'a boom in home working, business start-ups and high levels of entrepreneurship.'


Stuart's recent report to the Prime Minister 'England's rural areas: steps to release their economic potential' set out a package of practical proposals to improve support for people and enterprises in the rural business sector to help them realise their potential.


However, the loss of services such as post offices, schools, GP surgeries, banks and shops can have a devastating effect on rural communities.


'Once one key service is withdrawn, the knock-on effect is that other amenities will edge towards closure as well. And once closures have reached a tipping point, or critical mass, the life of a village is put at serious risk.'


Our recent publication 'Planning for Sustainable Rural Communities: The Big Picture' describes the changes we believe are needed to policies and practice to make progress towards making rural communities more sustainable.


Read the Observer article

Download 'England's rural areas: steps to release their economic potential'

Download 'Planning for Sustainable Rural Communities: The Big Picture'

]]> Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:29:33 UT Rural areas need regenerating too http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3218 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3218 Trevor Cherrett, Specialist Advisor in our Sustainable Rural Communities in the 21st Century team, has written an article for the latest edition of BURA magazine.


Trevor's article looks at the need to think  about urban and rural together, and for policies and decisions to help regenerate rural areas and help make them sustainable. 


Visit the BURA article to read Trevor's article

]]> Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:04:02 UT Community Land Trusts 2008: Creating Affordable Housing - From concept to reality http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/2804 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/2804 We're supporting this Community Land Trust event, focusing on the key obstacles that practitioners and communities are encountering in areas such as land, planning & tenure, technical support and finance.


The event will also look closely at how the spatial planning and sustainable communities strategies can be brought together.


CLTs 2008 will provide a unique networking and learning opportunity with many expert practitioners and policy makers gathered in one place.


Find out more about the event and how to attend

]]> Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:32:48 UT Eco-towns http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/2770 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/2770 Eco-towns offer an exciting opportunity to demonstrate new ways of living and working. Many will be located within or close to rural areas and will clearly impact on those areas in many ways.

Some of those ways are potentially negative, such as increased traffic or demands on local services and resources such as water supply or flood controls. 

But some are potentially positive, for example by providing better transport facilities and access to a wider range of shops, schools and other services, as well as possible locations for more employment and affordable housing.

It is vital that these impacts are fully taken into account when planning eco-towns.

The linkages to and with surrounding rural communities must be considered as well as the design of the towns themselves.

In this way we may discover all kinds of ideas and solutions for rural communities, perhaps better transport networks between "clusters" of settlements, or the development of eco-villages in new and existing rural communities.]]> Fri, 04 Apr 2008 11:19:14 UT Sustainable Communities 08 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/2732 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/2732 We're sponsoring this conference highlighting the over-arching principles of the Government's vision for sustainable communities.


This event offers a unique opportunity to learn how change can be made locally, whether it be cleaner and green streets, affordable and sustainable housing, or developing the skills to meet local needs and tackle social inclusion.


Sustainable Communities 08: Regeneration, People, Places includes an exhibition of over 25 industry experts offering solutions to help meet your local vision of sustainable communities.

]]> Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:23:54 UT Our Response to PPS4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Development http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/2719 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/2719 We've responded to CLG's consultation on PPS4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Development.

 

The new PPS on Planning for Sustainable Economic Development sets out how planning bodies should, in the wider context of delivering sustainable development, positively plan for sustainable economic growth and respond to the challenges of the global economy, in their plan policies and planning decisions.


Find out more about the consultation

Read our response

]]> Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:49:15 UT Responding to Matthew Taylor's review on the rural economy and affordable housing http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/2714 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/2714 We're pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to Matthew Taylor's review on the rural economy and affordable housing.  The main recommendations in our response include:

  • increasing the capacity of local authorities to implement PPS3

  • putting in place resources to support communities to engage positively in the provision of affordable homes

  • planning inspectors showing greater understanding of the needs of rural communities feeding through to their recommendations on Regional Spatial Strategies and Local Development Frameworks

  • training for parish and local authority councillors so they have a better appreciation of the tools available to deliver affordable rural housing


Read the call for evidence and our full response

]]> Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:40:08 UT Breathing Life into Rural England - Public Servant magazine article http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/2702 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/2702 Trevor Cherrett, head of our Planning for Sustainable Communities programme, has written an article for this month's Public Servant magazine.


Trevor's article 'Breathing Life into Rural Communities' explores how positive policies and decisions can help rural communities to be sustainable and challenges the widely held presumption that rural communities are inherently unsustainable.


Read Trevor's article

]]> Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:08:20 UT How can we plan for sustainable rural communities? Public Servant magazine http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/2228 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/2228 Trevor Cherrett, head of our Planning for Sustainable Communities programme, has written an article for this month's Public Servant magazine.


'How can we plan for Sustainable Communities?' draws on our discussion paper 'Planning for Sustainable Rural Communities: A New Agenda?' and discusses how rural communities can contribute to increased quality of life by creating safer, environmentally attractive neighbourhoods.

]]> Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:06:16 UT Global Challenges - Local Change: SDUK Annual Conference 2007 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/1687 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/1687 Trevor Cherrett, who leads our work on sustainable rural communities, will be speaking at the 2007 SDUK conference.

We're also sponsoring a seminar session on 'Planning for suatainable rural communities'

For more details of the event, visit the SDUK website

]]> Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:22:08 UT Our Response to the Planning White Paper http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/1516 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/1516 Our inquiry into the provision of affordable housing in rural areas found that in many cases planning policies and practice were seen as a major constraint to a speedy resolution of housing needs in the countryside. 


Planning is also often cited by rural businesses as a barrier to economic development.  We, therefore, welcome the Planning White Paper if it helps to overcome some of these difficulties and, especially, to pave the way for much needed affordable housing in England`s rural communities. 


We also welcome the role it could play in  further strengthening  the important contribution which rural communities make  to the national economy, not only in the land-based sector, but over a wide range of manufacturing and services, particularly tourism.


However, local people's voices must be  properly heard within the new processes and  the distinctive character of rural England must be respected and enhanced. Parish Plans and other community-led planning initiatives should be enhanced and supported to help make this happen.


Regional Spatial Strategies and Local Development Frameworks will continue to be the main vehicles for implementing planning policies and it is vital that they take full account of the needs and circumstances of rural communities and businesses.


Similarly, national planning policies must take account of rural issues and be properly coordinated.  The new Independent Planning Commission should include rural expertise and knowledge on its board and must take the rural dimension into account before making decisions on major infrastructure projects


Read  our response to the Barker Review of Land-Use Planning

 


]]> Mon, 21 May 2007 16:28:49 UT How can we plan for sustainable rural communities..? http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/1091 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/1091 Planning, Housing and Transport, has been writing about planning for sustainable rural communities in January's Public Servant magazine and about rural policy in February's Planning Magazine]]> Tue, 30 Jan 2007 10:06:26 UT