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Rural housing
It was recognised in the Medway’s last housing need survey
(2006), that the needs and aspirations of rural residents were not
fully captured. Everyone has an opinion about affordable housing
and a survey is the best way to ensure that every local resident is
given the opportunity to have their say. To provide the level of
detailed information required to establish rural housing needs, the
council decided to undertake a housing need survey for eight of
Medway’s rural parishes.
Housing Needs Survey
Housing Needs Surveys are used to find out what type of
affordable housing local people need and what local people can
afford. It may be that a survey shows that most local people would
like shared ownership but further research may reveal that they are
unable to afford this option.
Medway Council, working in partnership with key stakeholders,
the community and Action for Communities in Rural Kent (ACRK),
developed and implemented an innovative approach to undertaking an
assessment of the housing needs of households in Medway’s rural
parishes. Each household was given the opportunity to provide
information on its current and future housing requirements and
Medway Council would like to thank all who took the time to respond
to the survey.
ACRK and Medway Council believe that affordable housing is one
of the crucial issues that influences the economic and social
strength of rural communities and is a major contributor to
long-term community sustainability. ACRK assists parish councils
and rural communities by providing independent impartial advice and
support. In Medway, ACRK collated the needs data and analysed the
results of the surveys. The Rural Strategy Manager at Medway
Council liaised with the parish councils to ensure their
involvement at every stage.
There are many people currently living in villages who may have
to move out of the area and away from family, schools and other
support networks to find accommodation that meets their needs and
is affordable. The council wants to keep communities integrated and
strong. Once it receives the feedback from the surveys, it will
work with the rural communities to develop solutions to meet their
current and future housing needs.
Survey findings
Download the survey findings:
To use these files you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do
not have it on your computer, please use the advice page.
Kent Rural Housing Protocol
The Kent Rural Housing
Protocol (pdf 1, 921KB) was launched in June 2011.The protocol,
the first of its kind in the south-east, champions the cause for
more affordable homes in villages across Kent.
It provides practical guidelines for local and parish
councillors, planners, housing providers and developers to
work together to address the issue of limited affordable housing in
rural areas.
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