“I love my new home. It’s only five minutes from my son’s school, I know most of my neighbours, and my parents are very local which is really handy.”
Charlotte has recently moved into a new home within an affordable housing scheme in North Warnborough that prioritised people with a local connection to the parish. She has lived in the village for 30 years and works locally so being able to afford to stay in the area has been ideal.
As part of Rural Housing Week, which runs from 7-11 July, we’re shining a light on the significant social and economic benefits that come from delivering affordable housing within rural communities.
However, homes in rural areas are often much more expensive to buy or rent than those in urban areas and the availability of affordable housing within villages is also much lower.
Hart understands the significant benefits that come from increasing the number of affordable homes in our rural parishes to help ensure people can stay living where they have strong connections and create thriving communities.
We continue to work with housing associations, parish councils and the Hampshire Rural Housing Enablers at Action Hampshire to identify and help meet housing need within our rural parishes.
We look to deliver new affordable homes through Rural Exception Sites. These small sites would not otherwise be allocated for housing and give priority to people with a local connection to the parish.
There are currently ten RES schemes within Hart, offering homes for rent and shared ownership (part buy, part rent). The most recent scheme was completed in 2023 through the housing association Hastoe, providing 12 homes for local people in North Warnborough.
Hart also remains dedicated to working with partners to deliver future schemes to help address affordable housing need.
To learn more – visit our rural affordable housing page or contact the Housing Strategy and Development Team on 01252 774110 / 01252 774078.
If you have a local connection to a village within Hart and need affordable housing, you can apply to join Hart’s housing register.
Registering will also help us to better understand local affordable housing needs.