Consultations - Housing

Incentivising landowners to bring forward land for affordable housing (2010)

ACRE responded to this consultation in February 2010 following input from our Rural Community Action Network members (Rural Housing Enablers). The consultation is one of the outputs of the recommendations in the Matthew Taylor Review of affordable housing in 2008. In general ACRE supported the proposals that would give landowners greater control over the land landowners make available (through leasehold rights or nominating tenants) as long as appropriate controls are put in place. Read ACRE's consultation response on inentivising landowners to bring forward more land for affordable housing.

The Community Infrastructure Levy (2009)

The Communities and Local Government Department (CLG) consulted on its detailed proposals during the summer of 2009. The Community Infrastructure Levy or CIL was the proposed new charge which local authorities in England and Wales will be empowered but not required to charge on most types of new development in their area. It has arisen from the Planning Act 2008. The proposed charges relate to the size and character of the development. The proceeds will be spent on local and sub-regional infrastructure to support the development of an area. Charities are expected to be exempt while affordable housing may have a reduce levy imposed or no charge at all. Read ACRE's consultation response on the Community Infrastructure Levy

ACRE’s concern is that the infrastructure needs of rural areas and especially of smaller communities will not receive their due requirement to meet their needs (even if this is not large) from the levy because the charges collected from generally small rural schemes are at risk of being diverted to larger pieces of infrastructure for urban areas, a district or the sub-region. We recognise of course that bigger developments bring with them greater infrastructure requirements and the approach to aggregate funds charged to meet cross district needs. However we believe that this approach must ensure that the local needs of rural areas are catered for. Most rural communities will of course benefit from large infrastructure improvements serving the wider area but we would like assurances that necessary infrastructure improvements to village halls, playing areas and so on will come forward to rural area.