West Oxfordshire District Council

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Save our Villages

Rural housing cannot be met through our usual approaches to delivery, and given the need to safeguard what is largely the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; affordable housing development needs to be a little more sensitive, flexible and adaptable to local considerations.

Rural housing is a priority in West Oxon due in part because this type of development helps to underwrite the vibrancy of smaller communities, by; sustaining the facilities and maintaining the overall balance of the community
West Oxfordshire has been at the forefront of promoting affordable homes in rural locations for many years, and was a founder member of the Oxfordshire Housing Partnership
Rural Exception sites are important as open market developments in villages often fall below the threshold that affordable rented homes in particular can be sought as a contribution.

Drivers for change

The ratio of earnings to house prices, in West Oxfordshire is between 9 and 10. For those on modest incomes finding affordable housing is a serious problem.
Young people are forced to leave their village environment in order to find a home, often leaving an imbalance in the age structure of small communities.
Some villages in West Oxon have seen the closure of local amenities such as; schools, shops, and pubs due to out-migration of younger local people.

What West is doing

Since 2004 West Oxon with its partners, the HCA and the ORHP have delivered 180 new homes in 20 rural locations since 2004. There are a further 82 rural homes in the pipeline over the next 2 to 3 years.
The District Council responded to the need for affordable homes generally by lowering the threshold at which contributions for AH can be sought, in the form of intermediate housing.

We're proud to be a part of it

West Oxfordshire is proud to be part of the Save our Villages Campaign spearheaded by the National Homes Federation.
We are pleased to add our name to the list of Local Authorities that have signed-up to action that will ensure that our villages and market towns are mixed, working communities supporting a range of local businesses and services.

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National Housing Federation | Oxfordshire Rural Community Council | Oxfordshire Rural Housing Partnership

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Last reviewed 16 April 2012

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