No Home Sweet Home on the farm, says CLA

The CLA today (19 October) said a Government plan to make it easier for farmers to convert agricultural buildings into houses is just part of the solution in helping to relieve the shortage of affordable rural housing.

The Association said the Home on the Farm scheme, launched to allow farmers to turn redundant farm buildings into new homes largely misses the point.

CLA President William Worsley said: The lack of affordable housing is a serious problem in rural areas, so it is good the Government is doing something, but this proposal will not make much difference.

Even if a redundant farm building is capable of being converted into a dwelling, it is not always suitable for this purpose. Many of the buildings, particularly those on working farms, should not be made into homes because the potential occupiers would be exposed to livestock and dangerous machinery. The lack of roads, pipes and sewers to the property would make conversion prohibitively expensive.

Mr Worsley said that if the Government is serious about dealing with the lack of affordable rural housing it needs to be far more radical in its approach.

He said: First, there needs to be a complete overhaul of the present planning system to encourage development of affordable housing rather than prevent it. Second, the person developing the housing needs to have a say in who occupies it.

Too many local authorities insist that housing associations should manage affordable homes. Landowners will always be reluctant to provide land or buildings if they have no say in who will live there.

For more information about the Government’s Home on the Farm scheme please visit: http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsstories/housing/1743381

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has around 35,000 members.

As a membership organisation, the CLA supports landowners by advising them on how best to protect and maximise their asset: the land. We are dedicated to supporting landowners and their businesses. Our success is measured by how effectively we do that. We have a team of experts in London and a regional structure able to give local support.

We have been looking after the interests of our members, as well as promoting the positive aspects of land ownership, land management and rural business activities for the past 100 years. CLA members own or manage approximately half the rural land in England and Wales, and the resulting expertise puts us in a unique position to formulate policies and lobby effectively.