NAEA launches Rural Practice Forum

The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has launched the Rural Practice Forum (RPF) specifically to champion property issues affecting rural areas.

The countryside is absorbing social housing and shared equity schemes in order to ensure sufficient housing is provided, but there are concerns property is not being built quickly enough to plug the gap in the bottom of the housing market and ensure people on limited incomes are getting a fair deal.

The RPF hopes to campaign on such issues and represent the needs of those in the countryside who to date have lacked such a voice.

"I live in a small village and I have young people come crying to me because they can't afford to live in the village they grew up in," said RPF spokesman, Richard Copus.

"This means villages on either side that might have available housing are also being squeezed as people try and move to cheaper areas, meaning their young people move even further afield. It's a very bad state of affairs."

At its inaugural meeting, the RPF welcomed the LINK recent move by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) to review the planning process, but also issued a stark warning that proposed changes need to be made quickly in order to be successful.

The government announced earlier this week the system would be reviewed with a view to reducing red tape and cutting the bureaucratic burden imposed on developers.

"More and more rural communities have earmarked suitable sites for social housing on land where planning permission for ordinary housing would be refused but the bureaucratic process means that it is taking around six years from initiation to commencement of construction of these homes," continued Mr Copus.

"It should not be beyond the grasp of government to fast track the planning process for what it accepts as being an exception to the standard planning process already.

"When located and designed well these properties are of positive benefit to the countryside and help to keep the village shop, school and pub afloat, as well as taking pressure off the first-time buyer market."

There are also concerns property in rural areas is being squeezed by high demand, while previous government initiatives such as "Rural Exempt Zones" are being executed too slowly to stop rural areas emptying of their traditional communities.

"We need some action now before the people intended for these houses have left the area in desperation to find an affordable home and the historic link with their communities has been lost," concluded Mr Copus.