Rural Housing success for Stratford-on-Avon District

Rural communities in south Warwickshire are celebrating following the completion of two landmark rural housing schemes; whilst the District Council is pleased to announce the continuation of the highly successful project which helped get those schemes off the ground.

Stratford-on-Avon District Council and Warwickshire Rural Community Council (WRCC) have signed a new five-year agreement ensure the continuation of a special project which helps provide vital new homes for local people.

At the same time, residents of Long Itchington and Snitterfield are benefitting from two new rural housing schemes completed this month.

Around 75% of the District's population live outside the largest town, Stratford-upon-Avon, in a network of over 100 villages and market towns. Since the beginning of the Stratford-on-Avon Rural Housing Enabler Project in 2003, over 140 affordable homes have been provided as part of rural housing schemes aimed at ensuring the continued sustainability and vitality of those rural communities.

The schemes – such as those at Long Itchington and Snitterfield – enable local people to stay, or even return, to their local communities; who would otherwise have been forced to move away because of high house prices or the lack of suitable accommodation.

The new agreement with WRCC will provide funding totalling £190,000 spread over a five-year period. In return for this funding, WRCC will continue to provide the services of a full-time Rural Housing Enabler providing independent and impartial advice and assistance to local communities. Responsibility for actually building new homes remains with the Council's partner housing associations.

Welcoming this news, the Leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Councillor Chris Saint says: “For over ten years, the District Council has worked in partnership with WRCC and our many rural communities to provide new homes tailored to meet their needs and aspirations. The new schemes at Long Itchington and Snitterfield are the latest examples of the fruits of this work, of which we can all be proud. I am delighted to announce the continuation of the Rural Housing Enabler Project, which has developed such a successful track record in helping to deliver schemes such as these."