Partnership working in Nottinghamshire continues to deliver new rural affordable homes
The Trent Valley Partnership (TVP) is a group of local authorities and housing providers who’ve come together to encourage the provision of affordable homes for local people in villages across the East Midlands.
The group, made up of Midlands Rural Housing, Newark and Sherwood District Council and Nottingham Community Housing Association, work in partnership with communities, parish councils, local authority planning and housing teams, and landowners to identify housing need and develop well-designed rural housing schemes which meet the needs of local people.
The TVP was created in 2005 and our collaborative, single-goal approach has seen several new rural housing schemes became reality.
19 new homes in Walesby
The homes in Walesby, owned and managed by NCHA, are a mix of two-bedroom bungalows and two and three-bedroom homes, for both rent and shared ownership. The need for the homes was identified back in 2017 in an independent housing needs survey carried out by Midlands Rural Housing. A housing needs survey assesses the types of housing needed for people with a local connection to a village.
The land for the new homes on the edge of the village, is termed a ‘rural exception site’, allowing affordable homes to be built – with the sole purpose of addressing local housing need.
The rapid rise of house prices in rural areas can make home ownership impossible for some, and that’s why schemes such as this are vital. They offer affordable homes for local people who might otherwise be priced out of the area.
Philippa McKenna, Project Delivery Manager at Midlands Rural Housing (MRH) said:
“We’ve worked with Newark and Sherwood District Council and NCHA for many years to provide homes of all tenures for people in rural communities. It’s vital that these homes are only made available to people with a local connection to the community, and that they stay affordable and available to local people in perpetuity.”
Rowan Cozens, Deputy Leader, Newark and Sherwood District Council said:
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to shine a spotlight on phase 2 of the affordable rural exception scheme at Haughton Way. The lack of affordable housing is a growing problem in many rural communities and these schemes help to keep small communities in the countryside alive by enabling young and old alike to remain in villages where they have family connections.
“It is testament to the strong partnership between NCHA, Newark and Sherwood District Council and Midlands Rural Housing that the scheme has been developed for people who need them the most. We will continue to work with partners to ensure a supply of affordable housing for rent and purchase are available for local people in the future.”
