New Forest Villages Housing Association struggling to find sites for desperately needed affordable homes

LANDOWNERS have been urged to sell up to help provide affordable homes and stop New Forest communities being “hollowed out” by high house prices.

The plea has come from Sarah Nield, chair of the New Forest Villages Housing Association (NFVHA) and a professor in property law at the University of Southampton.

As reported in the A&T, the district council recently agreed an extra £1.3m to deal with a surge in homelessness this year.

Prof. Nield said: “We are in danger of hollowing out our communities when what we all want to see is village schools, thriving communities and a variety of sustainable shops.”

Despite having the funds to build, Prof. Nield said the not-for-profit group faced “an uphill struggle” to secure any land for development to help tackle the situation.

Neighbours’ objections to affordable homes were often another problem, she said.

Since its formation around 40 years ago, the group has built 47 properties in Brockenhurst, Beaulieu, Ashurst, Minstead, Burley, and Damerham near Fordingbridge.

Prof. Nield, who lives in Brockenhurst, said homelessness was often “hidden” in the New Forest where the average price of a property is now £504,299 – putting local homes out of the reach of many.

“This is because of the appearance of affluence in places like the New Forest,” she said. “But it’s important to remember that rural areas are not immune.

“And unlike cities, where the problem is more concentrated, it is much more difficult for people to access the support and services that might help them, because it’s harder to justify having that support in the first place where the issue is not as prominent as it is in urban locations.”

As a charity, the NFVHA can develop rural exception sites allocated for affordable housing where open-market projects would be unlikely to secure permission.

Prof. Nield said: “We want to provide social housing in villages because that is where the problem is most acute, in the sense that the pressure for land is at its most intense and planning is problematic.

“Some of our sites have come from Hampshire County Council, others from private landowners, and we’ve also worked with Beaulieu Estate, which leased us the land to build 15 properties.

“Our biggest challenge, though, is finding new sites, so we’d really like to hear from any landowners who have rural exception sites and would like to secure those for the community in perpetuity, but don’t have the resources to develop.”

The group said it could offer a range of incentives to landowners willing to help bring about much-needed housing.

Measures include giving priority to an owner’s farm workers when allocating the new homes, as long as they meet local eligibility.

Opposition from local residents was also a significant barrier to social housing in the New Forest, said Prof. Nield.

“This is understandable, but if residents could see what our developments look like, they would be pleasantly surprised by how well they fit in to their surroundings.

“Thankfully not all local residents object, though – many see the need, particularly when their children, relatives or friends can no longer find affordable accommodation in the area in which they have strong local connections.”

NFVHA properties are let at below market rates to those on NFDC’s housing register, which requires all applicants to have a local connection. They remain as rentals to ensure they don’t end up as second homes or holiday lets.

NFDC revealed that 1,553 people are now on its waiting list, compared with 1,297 in March 2021.

Prof. Nield said a “mix” of housing is what ultimately leads to vibrant communities.

“We want villages in the New Forest to flourish and sustain themselves,” she said.

“In order to achieve that, you need young people – it doesn’t help anybody if those people are having to travel in. It’s bad for the environment, it’s expensive for them and it adds to traffic problems.

“But of course, we have a lack of social housing for them. We’ve lost the old form of council housing to the private market and there’s now a very limited supply of affordable homes.”

NFVHA is a subsidiary of the English Rural Group, a specialist provider of community-led, affordable, rural homes established in 1991 and whose patron is the Princess Royal.

Visit englishrural.org.uk