Growing Rural Communities

An update on our affordable home building programme

Our Activity

This year has been one of our most active growth periods in over a decade, reflecting our commitment to addressing the critical shortage of affordable rural housing. Despite economic challenges in the sector, we've made significant progress in expanding and improving our housing stock.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS:

Record-Breaking Development: We were on-site building more homes than at any time in the past decade.

Completed Homes: We're proud to have completed 32 new affordable homes this year, exceeding our target of 16. These homes are spread across several rural communities in Kent and Surrey.

Future Pipeline: We currently have 82 homes in our development pipeline.

Environmental Standards: We've completed our first 'A' rated energy-efficient homes, setting a new standard for sustainability in our developments.

Updated Development Strategy: We've reviewed and updated our strategy, emphasising enhanced quality, design, and build credentials. This strategy prioritises Rural Exception Sites, which have always been the cornerstone of English Rural's growth.

LOOKING AHEAD:

We're targeting the completion of 31 new homes in 2024/25.

Our development programme now focuses on delivering 25-35 homes annually, aligning with our historical average while ensuring financial stability.

We're strengthening partnerships in key new districts, expanding our geographical reach.

Our commitment to Rural Exception Sites remains strong, focusing on areas with both a need for affordable homes and active support from local partners.

While we're proud of our achievements, we recognise the ongoing challenges in the housing sector.

Rest assured, we remain committed to providing high-quality, affordable homes in rural communities, balancing growth with the need to maintain and improve our existing properties.