A ‘not in my back yard’ state of mind from objectors to rural development is holding rural communities back, according to a poll from the Country Land and Business Association (CLA).
The association’s poll of more than 1,000 people living in rural areas found that 19% believe objectors to development have a positive impact on the countryside.
46% said objectors have a negative impact and 23% said they have neither a positive or negative impact.
The poll also found that affordable rural housing is the biggest issue facing rural communities, beating out the cost of living.
Nearly 60% of respondents ranked it among their top two most pressing issues, with the higher cost of living compared to urban areas coming second and the lack of rural jobs third.
53% said rural areas need to build more homes to provide affordable housing, with 36% against this.
More than half (55%) also said they support additional homes being built in their own community, with 35% saying they did not support this.
CLA president, Victoria Vyvyan, said rural communities across the country are “crying out” for affordable housing.
“Nobody wants to concrete over the countryside, least of all us, but for decades governments of all colours have treated it as a museum, risking the sustainability of communities and failing to generate the conditions necessary for growth,” she said.
“Villages cannot be dormitories for wealthy commuters, nor can they be the preserve of the elderly.
“A small number of homes must be built in a large number of villages to provide housing for young people and families, to provide workers for local businesses and keep shops, schools and other facilities open.”
Rural development
Vyvyna said central government and local authorities need to start having “some ambition for the rural economy”.
This starts with saying the needs of the whole rural economy are more important than the desires of small groups of campaigners refusing to accept the need for change, she said.
“Rural communities face a number of distinct challenges compared to their urban counterparts: an older population, proportionally fewer affordable homes, pressure on house prices from second home ownership, and a larger gap between house prices and wages.
“These challenges are largely the result of a planning system that is simply not designed to unlock their potential.
“The system continues to favour large-scale developments that often fundamentally and negatively alter the fabric of the local community.”
Likewise, Vyvyan said this same system ignores the advantages of small-scale developments that would improve the viability of villages.
“This systemic failure of government planning policy is steadily killing rural communities.”
