"The rural housing crisis is tearing communities apart, with homelessness soaring and rough sleeping now worse in some countryside areas than it is in our biggest cities"
- Pauli Miner - CPRE
New government statistics highlight an escalating housing emergency in rural England, with homelessness surging by 73% since 2018 and some countryside areas now recording higher rates of rough sleeping than major cities. Research from CPRE, the countryside charity, found that in 2023, twelve rural local authorities had rough sleeping levels above the national average, and seven surpassed even those in London.
The data underscores a growing imbalance: rural rents and property prices continue to outpace national averages. At the same time, local wages lag significantly behind, making homeownership and even renting increasingly unattainable for many.
As Parliament reviews the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, CPRE is calling for bold government action, including:
A statutory definition of ‘affordable housing’ that ties affordability to average local incomes rather than market rates.
Legally binding targets for truly affordable and socially rented homes in all new developments, with developers held accountable for delivery.
'Use it or lose it' legislation to accelerate the development of 1.4 million homes with existing planning permission and 1.2 million potential homes on shovel-ready brownfield land.
Although the construction of ‘affordable’ housing has risen 70% since 2012, the headline numbers mask stark regional disparities and are based on a flawed definition of affordability. In fact, the North West and South West have seen decreases in affordable housing construction of 6.2% and 8.9%, respectively.
Worse still, social housing construction in rural England has plummeted by 32% since 2012. Just 2,831 social homes were built in these areas last year.
The consequences are stark, with rural social housing waiting lists totalling approximately 300,000 people. At the current rate of construction, it would take more than 80 years to meet this demand. In the South West alone, nearly 65,000 individuals remain on waiting lists—even after a 33% drop in total registrations since 2012.
"The rural housing crisis is tearing communities apart, with homelessness soaring and rough sleeping now worse in some countryside areas than it is in our biggest cities," explained CPRE head of policy and planning Paul Miner.
He added, "The Planning and Infrastructure Bill could transform how we deliver genuinely affordable homes by tackling the stranglehold of big developers, redefining 'affordable' based on local incomes, and setting meaningful targets for social housing and genuinely affordable homes. With 300,000 rural people on waiting lists and a backlog that would take 82 years to clear, it’s time for the government to act."
