Rural Housing Week 2024

It’s Rural Housing Week 2024 and Elim Housing is pleased to be supporting this National Housing Federation (NHF) event to highlight the role housing providers can play in meeting rural housing need, and the huge economic and social benefits it provides.

This year’s theme focuses on why rural communities need the next government to commit to a long-term plan for housing.

Affordable housing is essential to the prosperity of rural communities. Research shows that building just 10 affordable homes in a rural area generates £1.4m for the economy and supports an average of 26 jobs in the area. However, despite the relatively small scale of these projects, building new affordable homes in rural areas is extremely challenging. The delivery of affordable rural homes is often hampered by complex planning policies, a shortage of investment and stretched resources, leading to limited development in rural areas. These barriers combine to restrict housing supply for rural communities, which threatens their long-term sustainability.

Elim has recently completed a rural development at Tilsdown, Cam Gloucestershire. A selection 4 homes acquired that consist of 2 x two bed homes providing affordable rent for local families and 2 x three bed homes for shared ownership.

Cam is a small town located close to the neighbouring town of Dursley and situated on the edge of the Cotswolds.

Elim Housing Chief Executive Paul Smith said: “There is an acute need for affordable housing in Gloucestershire however, it can be a particularly tough area to build in due to suitable sites being difficult to acquire and rarely becoming available. Elim is committed to delivering affordable housing where there is need and we were therefore delighted to complete Tilsdown development, which offers quality affordable housing for local people. Schemes such as this demonstrate the value of affordable housing in keeping local communities.”

Elim is continuously looking to work with councils and rural communities in new areas of Gloucestershire and Stroud district where there is a shortage of affordable homes. To find out more, contact us on 01454 411172 or email us at n.breddy@elimhousing.co.uk