Affordable Rural Housing in Northern Lincolnshire
New homes for rent and for first-time buyers in Kirton-in-Lindsey, completed in August 2008.
The Northern Lincolnshire Rural Housing Enabler Project works in North and North East Lincolnshire to encourage the development of more affordable homes for local people in rural villages.
Although it is still possible to get on the housing ladder in the larger urban settlements of Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Cleethorpes, this is proving to be increasingly difficult for villagers on average or modest incomes. The rural parts of Northern Lincolnshire have become increasingly popular places to live, especially with commuters, the end result being that house prices in the villages are substantially higher than those in the towns. The problem is worsened by the fact that many former council houses have been sold under the Right to Buy or Right to Acquire, and have therefore been lost as a long-term housing asset for the local community. If you can’t afford to buy , there is also little chance of your securing a decent home to rent.
If local people living and working in the community, who often also provide essential services, cannot get a home in their own village then rural communities will wither and die and become unsustainable.
The RHE project works with local authority planning and housing strategy teams, local developers, landowners, housing associations and parish councils to identify areas of housing need and potential sites where small developments of affordable housing for rent or sale can be built.
To date, the RHE Project has achieved success in several villages, with 56 homes having been built in Epworth, Westwoodside, Goxhill, Owston Ferry, Kirton-in-Lindsey, Ulceby and Laceby. A further 21 homes are now under construction in Wroot, West Butterwick and Hibaldstow. Possible future schemes to meet identified local need are being investigated in villages such as South Ferriby, East Halton and New Holland.
The RHE project has also of late been working in partnership with the housing strategy team of North Lincolnshire Council and the housing consultants, Fordhams Associates, who are in the process of producing a comprehensive housing needs survey of all the local authority’s rural housing parishes. This will provide an information base for future and continuing investment, and will assist the Project in targeting energy and resources into those villages where there remains a housing need.
If you would like more information about the Rural Housing Enabler Project, please contact:
David Broadmeadow
Rural Housing Enabler for Northern Lincolnshire
Haven House
Waterside Road
Barton-upon-Humber
DN18 5BD
Tel: 01652 662023
e-mail: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)