English Rural Housing Association
English Rural Housing Association
03 Nov 2026
New Affordable Homes Help Secure The Future Of Rural Essex Village
The Princess Royal, Patron of English Rural, visited the development at Narley Field Road recently. She met residents and toured both a rented and a shared ownership home.…
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12 Sep 2026
Meet English Rural: Supporting the National Rural Conference 2026
Building Homes, Sustaining Communities: Why English Rural Backs The Rural Services Network We are proud to support the Rural Services Network’s National Rural Conference 2026. The RSN gives…
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01 Aug 2026
Rural Affordable Housing and Planning: Join the Conversation
Tuesday 15 September 2026 | 10:00am–12:00pm | Online How can rural communities secure the affordable homes they need, and how can the planning system support sustainable rural growth?…
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20 Jul 2026
Exploring Solutions To Rural Affordable Housing
Affordable housing remains one of the defining challenges facing rural communities, affecting not only those looking for a home but also the ability of businesses, schools and local…
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06 Jul 2026
Making devolution work for affordable rural housing
English Devolution and rural affordable housing opportunities and risks Research from English Rural Housing Association shows how England’s devolution programme could unlock the delivery of affordable homes in…
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06 Jul 2026
Toolkit Launched To Support Rural Affordable Housing
Launched for Rural Housing Week, the free guide warns villages risk being “written out” of plans that will shape housing for a generation Rural communities across England are…
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23 Jun 2026
Can Devolution Deliver More Affordable Homes In Rural Areas?
As England's devolution agenda continues to reshape local government, questions are being asked about what the changes could mean for rural communities and the delivery of affordable housing.
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05 May 2026
No More Excuses: Affordable Rural Housing Works
A new report published by English Rural, in partnership with Acuity Research & Practice, challenges long-standing assumptions about the cost of managing affordable housing in rural areas.
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13 Apr 2026
Stronger Partnerships To Support Rural Housing Delivery
Rural Housing Enablers (RHEs) play a key role in bringing forward small-scale affordable housing in rural communities. Acting as independent facilitators, they work with parish councils, landowners, housing…
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02 Feb 2026
A Rural Lens On The National Plan To End Homelessness
English Rural has published a rural perspective on the Government’s recently released National Plan to End Homelessness, welcoming its ambition to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring, while…
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08 Dec 2025
Will Devolution Deliver For Rural Communities?
New research shows how England’s devolution programme could unlock the delivery of affordable homes in rural communities – if rural priorities are embedded in local strategies and supported…
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04 Aug 2025
What is a Rural Housing Enabler?
The term Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) comes up frequently in discussions about tackling the rural housing crisis—but what do they actually do? Rural Housing Enablers are independent facilitators…
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06 May 2025
A Royal Call to Action at the Rural Housing Conference
The Rural Services Network was proud to be represented by Assistant Chief Executive Nadine Trout at last week’s Rural Housing Conference, jointly hosted by English Rural and Action…
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28 Apr 2025
Royal Support for Rural Housing
HRH The Princess Royal, Patron of English Rural, will attend the “Affordable Rural Housing: Opportunity in Changing Times” conference on Wednesday, 30th April 2025, held at Coram, Brunswick…
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14 Apr 2025
Call for Urgent Investment in Rural Housing as Crisis Grows
At Current Rates, Clearing Rural Social Housing Waiting Lists Would Take 89 Years. A pioneering partnership between housing and homelessness organisations has launched a report to make the…
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18 Feb 2025
Podcast: Listen to Our Chief Exec Talk About The Challenges & Opportunities For Affordable Rural Housing
Listen to our Chief Exec, Martin Collett, talk about the challenges and opportunities for affordable rural housing in this Future Economic Rural Network podcast: Dont have time to listen? Here’s…
Read more11 Feb 2025
Join The English Rural Team!
We’re excited to announce two fantastic career opportunities. English Rural are looking for dedicated individuals to fill the roles of Regional Housing Manager and Stock Condition Surveyor. These…
Read more23 Oct 2024
Reflections on the Inaugural Housing Community Summit: A New Dawn for Social Housing?
The first-ever Housing Community Summit, a collaborative effort by the National Housing Federation and the Chartered Institute of Housing, convened in Liverpool, bringing together the UK’s social housing sector. This landmark event…
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30 Sep 2024
Unveiling Hidden Realities: New Images of Rural Homelessness
The Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI) and the Rural Homelessness Counts Coalition, chaired by English Rural, have partnered to create a collection of free, non-stigmatising images of people who are experiencing…
Read more26 Jul 2024
A Design Guide: Building Tomorrow’s Rural Communities
English Rural Housing Association, in collaboration with a panel of rural experts and advocates, has launched a groundbreaking initiative aimed at transforming the perception of affordable rural housing.…
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08 Jul 2024
Pioneering Guide Champions Beautiful and Affordable Rural Housing
English Rural Housing Association, in collaboration with a panel of rural experts and advocates, has launched a groundbreaking initiative aimed at transforming the perception of affordable rural housing.…
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01 Jul 2024
Celebrating One Year of the Rural Homelessness Counts Coalition
As we reach the one-year anniversary of the Rural Homelessness Counts Coalition during Rural Housing Week, we want to reaffirm our collective dedication to ending rural homelessness. As…
Read more01 May 2024
The Forgotten Crisis: Addressing the Urgent Need for Affordable Rural Housing
In a recent essay for the Localis report “Building consent: housing by popular demand,” Kerry Booth, Chief Executive of the Rural Services Network (RSN), sheds light on a pressing issue often overlooked by…
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02 Apr 2024
The Untapped Potential of Rural Exception Sites
The recent report by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), “Delivering Rural Opportunity,” casts a spotlight on Rural Exception Sites as a promising avenue to…
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20 Nov 2023
RSN joins celebrations as coalition wins Campaign of the Year award
RSN has joined partners in the ‘Rural Homelessness Counts’ Coalition to celebrate its win at the Affordable Housing Awards 2023. The campaign “Homelessness in the Countryside – A…
Read more25 Oct 2023
Unlocking the ‘Magic Ingredient’: How Rural Exception Sites could be the Game-Changer for Affordable Housing in the English Countryside
Article by David Barrowcliff from English Rural Housing Association The allure of the English countryside — its rolling hills, charming villages, and robust community spirit — is undeniable. However, a…
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11 Sep 2023
Increasing affordable housing in the countryside with Rural Exception Sites
A new report has revealed that communities which embrace use of the Rural Exception Site planning policy can significantly increase the delivery of affordable homes in the English…
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14 Aug 2023
Fears over rural heat pump plan
The Daily Mail has reported last week on the Government’s approach to off grid homes, where the current plan will mean that they can only replace their heating…
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07 Aug 2023
Demand for social homes in rural areas is growing at over 10 times the rate of that in towns and cities
The National Housing Federation recently published research showing that the number of rural households on local authority waiting lists in England, increased by 31% between 2019 and 2022,…
Read more27 Jul 2023
Rural Housing Week 2023 Round Up
National Rural Housing week was held from the 3-7 July, the week kicked off with the launch of the Rural Homelessness Counts Coalition, a pioneering initiative aimed at tackling…
Read more03 Jul 2023
RSN joins major Coalition to combat escalating rural homelessness crisis
In the face of a rapidly escalating rural homelessness crisis, a powerful new coalition is launching today. The ‘Rural Homelessness Counts Coalition’ is a collective of more than…
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06 Jun 2023
Rural Housing Crisis Deepens Amidst Rising Cost of Living
RURAL HOUSING CRISIS DEEPENS AMIDST RISING COST OF LIVING: A DEEP DIVE INTO THE 2023 RURAL COST OF LIVING SURVEY The below article was written by David Barrowcliff…
Read more26 Apr 2023
Shocking report reveal a growing, invisible homelessness crisis on our countryside
A shocking new report has uncovered a devastating, yet hidden, wave of homelessness sweeping through our rural areas. This alarming surge in countryside rough sleeping, intensified by the cost-of-living crisis,…
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20 Mar 2023
Chronic increase of ‘hidden’ homelessness in the countryside fuelled by cost-of-living crisis, ground-breaking report shows
A year-long study exposes a surge in rural rough sleeping since the pandemic has been worsened by the cost-of-living crisis According to analysis of official statistics, rough sleeping…
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27 Feb 2023
The challenge of rural decarbonisation
Jill Starley-Grainger from elemental details how switching to cleaner forms of energy presents unique challenges for those who live off the gas grid in rural areas. Part of this…
Read more02 Feb 2023
Rural Roots: How Exception Sites and Section 106 Agreements keep local people in their Communities
Rural Exception Sites (RES) and Section 106 Quota Sites (S.106) are two ways that affordable housing can be built in rural areas. Building affordable housing in rural areas…
Read more26 Oct 2022
Cost of living crisis – a perfect storm for increase in rural homelessness
New research being conducted by the University of Kent and the University of Southampton has found that the cost-of-living crisis and the critical shortage of affordable homes has increased rural…
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03 Oct 2022
Rural homelessness increasing due to cost-of-living crisis, research finds
New research being conducted by the University of Kent and the University of Southampton has found that the cost-of-living crisis and the critical shortage of affordable homes has…
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03 Oct 2022
Sleeping in barns – homeless in the countryside
The BBC have reported on the interim findings of research into Rural Homelessness, commissioned by a rural taskforce. The research is being carried out by University of Kent…
Read more20 Sep 2022
Rural homelessness focus of important study
Reminder to Housing Associations, Local Authorities or organisations that work with housing and homelessness – please take part in this important survey to help us understand and tackle…
Read more27 Jul 2022
Rural & Homeless – From a Horsebox to a Home
Hear the story of 52-year-old Sally, who was made redundant from her home on a farm where she worked: I loved my house, and I loved my job,…
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28 Apr 2022
Dunsfold secures its future through community ownership & affordable homes
Harriet English, Plunkett Foundation’s Head of Engagement, celebrates how the rural village of Dunsfold is securing its future by embracing community-ownership and affordable homes for locals. Creating a…
Read more03 Feb 2022
Rural Homelessness Focus of New Study
Rural homelessness is an unseen crisis in the countryside, driven by limited access to services and an absence of affordable homes. The extent of the crisis is unclear as limited…
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22 Nov 2021
Rural Homelessness Focus of new Study
Rural homelessness is an unseen crisis in the countryside, driven by limited access to services and an absence of affordable homes The extent of the crisis is unclear…
Read more28 Oct 2021
What is English Rural Doing to Tackle Climate Change?
Ahead of the 26th annual COP26 Summit in Glasgow, where the UN brings together almost every country on earth to reach agreement on how to tackle climate change, we wanted…
Read more23 Jul 2021
Much more than bricks
David Barrowcliff, Communications Manager, English Rural When I first started working in the rural housing sector in 2019, my initial thoughts were: “How do I get excited about…
Read more05 Jul 2021
Rural Housing Week 2021
Rural Housing week is here and we’d like to take this opportunity to shine a light on the work of the RSN that focuses on Rural Affordable Housing,…
Read more28 Jun 2021
How affordable rural homes change lives and communities (Cotswold focus)
Are you a Parish Councillor or a Landowner in the Cotswolds? English Rural is holding the second of a series of planned, regional webinars, focussing on how affordable…
Read more28 Apr 2021
How affordable rural homes change lives and communities (New Forest Focus)
English Rural held the first of a series of planned, regional webinars which focused on how affordable rural housing changes lives and communities. The first session had a…
Read more27 Jan 2021
How building affordable homes can help to reduce rural isolation and loneliness
A ‘silent epidemic’ is how the Commission for Loneliness describes the scale and impact of social isolation. This sounds sensational until you read more about the harm it…
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02 Nov 2020
Rural homelessness in England rises by 115% in past two years
The Rural Services Network, along with CPRE and English Rural Housing commissioned research into the Economic and Fiscal case for investing in rural affordable housing to drive post-pandemic…
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28 Oct 2020
Rural homelessness doubles since 2018 according to rural campaigners
‘Investing in affordable rural housing will level up and turbo charge the rural economy’ according to new research from CPRE, the countryside charity, English Rural and the Rural…
Read more22 Oct 2020
What are the current risks and opportunities for affordable housing?
There exist a number of risks and opportunities for affordable rural housing at present. These include the introduction of First Homes Exception Sites, the thresholds at which sites are required to…
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28 Aug 2020
The National Rural Conference 2020 Feature – Why we do what we do?
Feature provided by Martin Collett – Chief Executive of English Rural:
Read more22 Jul 2020
My Home Is Kinder To Me, My Wallet And The Planet
“My Home Is Kinder To Me, My Wallet And The Planet”: Perspectives On A Retrofit ProgrammeChristine Saunders, An English Rural Resident from the village of Clavering, Essex “It…
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20 Jul 2020
The National Rural Conference 2020 Conference Sponsor – English Rural
Established in 1991 and registered and regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing, English Rural is a specialist non-profit rural housing association with an active development programme –…
Read more06 Jul 2020
Homes for Heroes: huge lack of affordable homes for rural key workers
New analysis finds over nine in ten rural areas are unaffordable for care workers in the private rented sector as rural housing week 2020 begins CPRE, the countryside…
Read more21 May 2020
English Rural – Rural Communities are vital – now more than ever
The response to coronavirus in rural communities has been exceptional, with residents coming together in unprecedented circumstances to help and protect each other. Over the last few weeks,…
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03 Feb 2020
Spotlight on the RSP – February 2020 Edition
Welcome to the February 2020 Rural Services Partnership Spotlight. We are thrilled by the ever-increasing interest in the Rural Services Partnership (RSP) and the variety of organisations that…
Read more31 Jan 2020
English Rural – Royal Opening of Affordable Rural Homes in Warehorne, Kent
Warehorne, Kent – HRH The Princess Royal visited the village of Warehorne in Kent on 11th December 2019 to officially open English Rural’s new affordable housing development. Recently…
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02 Dec 2019
Provision made for rural communities in 2019 General Election manifestos “woefully inadequate”
Article by Martin Collett, Chief Executive, English Rural Woefully inadequate. That best describes the provision made for rural communities in the 2019 General Election manifestos. Taking the blue, red,…
Read more18 Nov 2019
Spotlight on the RSP – November 19 Edition
Welcome to November’s Rural Services Partnership Spotlight. We are thrilled by the ever-increasing interest in the Rural Services Partnership (RSP) and the variety of organisations that have joined…
Read more29 Jul 2019
Spotlight on the RSP – July 19 Edition
Welcome to July’s Rural Services Partnership Spotlight. Since a number of RSP members were given the opportunity to join both the RSP and the Rural Health & Care…
Read more24 Jun 2019
“Some said we were mad. We said, ‘remember our purpose’.”
“Some said we were mad. We said, ‘remember our purpose’.” These are the words spoken by our Chief Executive, Martin Collett, after English Rural took on a project…
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