Rural Housing Enabling in the Peak District and Derbyshire
Since April 2024 we’ve provided rural housing enabling services for Rural Action Derbyshire.
This work is funded by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), who committed £2.5million to fund a network of Rural Housing Enablers (RHEs) across England.
A year of growth, collaboration, and impact
Midlands Rural Housing is part of a multi-organisational, multi-disciplinary steering group team of passionate individuals, all committed to making a difference in our rural communities.
What started as a vision to establish a knowledge base of affordable housing needs across rural Derbyshire, has evolved into a dynamic, collaborative, and impactful project that has already begun to make a real difference.
Working in partnership with Rural Action Derbyshire (RAD) and Trent & Dove, Midlands Rural Housing’s role has been to:
- undertake initial desk research
- participate and present at roadshow events organised by RAD
- follow up enquiries from landowners, parish councils and community groups expressing an interest in rural affordable housing
- work with parish councils, local authorities and communities on housing needs surveys
- play a lead role in the rural housing steering group which includes representatives from local authorities, DALC (Derbyshire Association for Local Councils) and registered providers.
Engagement
We’ve recognised from the start of the project that engaging with local communities and other key stakeholders on rural housing issues, to enable the production of tangible outputs, can take many months to achieve. A distinct benefit has been the work RAD already does in rural communities, which has greatly lent itself to the promotion of rural issues amongst the wider community.
The engagement work we’ve been involved in includes:
- Secured the support of the newly elected Mayor for the East Midlands and hosted her visit to the Peak District Rural Housing scheme in Youlgrave
- Engaged with 129 Parish Councils across the High Peak and 36 across South Derbyshire
- Newsletter published to outline the key objectives of the programme
- Regular e-bulletins sent to c.1400 recipients
- Engaged with North East Derbyshire District Council officers regarding the programme
- Presentation planned to South Derbyshire District Council’s senior housing officer group
- Attendance at 11 events across Derbyshire organised by RAD
- Consultations with local authorities about housing need survey requirements and site suitability
Research and plans
The past year has been defined by deliberate action. From day one, we worked to identify the areas of greatest need and tailor our efforts to address them.
We have been involved in:
- Conducting research to understand the challenges and opportunities
- Beginning to formulate a database of settlement hierarchy, neighbourhood/parish plan provision, and key demographic stats of agreed parts of the county
- Creating a database of Registered Providers operating across Derbyshire
- Selected to participate in CCRI research via interviews with Dr Demelza Jones
Outputs
The groundwork we've laid has set a strong foundation for the future, and we’re already moving towards potential schemes.
- Three potential sites identified through contact with landowners and village tours
- Commenced housing needs survey in Edale, following a consultation with the Parish Council
- Commenced housing needs survey in Hope with Aston, following a consultation with the Parish Council
Looking ahead
The next phase of this project will build on the successes of the past year, expanding our reach, deepening our impact, and continuing to foster collaboration and innovation.
Contact us
Tel: 0300 1234 009
Email: enquiries@midlandsrural.org.uk
