Affordable Arun homes at top of wish list

The need for such housing for people wanting to live in Arun’s villages was the subject of discussion at a seminar into the topic.

The Rural Housing Seminar was held by the district council as part of national Rural Housing Week.

Representatives from local parish councils and the South Downs National Park Authority attended the event last Wednesday, to hear about how affordable rural housing could work in their area and encourage them to support it.

Arun’s cabinet member for planning Ricky Bower, said: “As a district council, we cannot just start building affordable properties in rural areas.

“There is a process that we have to go through and that starts with the parish councils coming forward and expressing their support.

“There is a misconception that all affordable housing schemes are big, enveloping estates, but they tend to be between just six and 12 units and are designed to fit in with the rural landscape. We want to work with parish councils to deliver these developments in a way which suits the area’s needs.”

Arun has delivered a number of affordable homes in the area over the last few years, but none have been in rural areas.

The council’s housing strategy, which aims to create a balanced housing market has a target of delivering 50 affordable rural homes by 2015.