Local housing trusts ‘potentially divisive’, says report

This article is provided courtesy of the news feed at http://www.newstartmag.co.uk/news

Government plans that would allow 90% of villagers to vote for new local building schemes could be ‘potentially divisive and self-defeating’, according to a report.

The Rural Coalition is urging the government to reconsider allowing 10% of residents to block new developments, warning it could ‘create long-lasting conflict within communities’ and ‘undermine the intention’ of a commitment to community-led development.

Announced as part of the Big Society concept, the government's Right to Build proposals would enable villagers to form local housing trusts and build homes without seeking council planning permission - provided 90% of locals voted in favour.

But the Rural Coalition - which includes the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the Local Government Group and the Royal Town Planning Institute – is calling instead for elected parish councils, empowered by a community-led plan, to be able to initiate small-scale developments within a localised planning system that meets local needs.

The rural challenge - Achieving sustainable rural communities for the 21st century outlines a series of recommendations covering key subjects including meeting rural housing need, building thriving economies, service delivery and empowering communities.

The report also calls for measures including the forthcoming decentralisation and localism bill to rule out ‘clearly vexatious or trivial village green applications’ that are used to slow down or block affordable housing and community developments.

Councils should have the freedom to manage their own housing finances, says the coalition, and be allowed to keep all income from selling existing council homes.

The report argues that, where Right to Bid proposals help volunteers run and retain under-threat services, council and public agencies should divert some of the funding saved back to such community-led solutions.

And where Local Enterprise Partnerships (Leps) have significant rural territory, the report states that they need to ensure there are enterprise and employment strategies in place.

Coalition chair Matthew Taylor warned the recommendations were necessary to avoid the countryside becoming ‘part dormitory, part theme park and part retirement home’.