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'Lost generation' in rural Wales 'Lost generation' in rural Wales
(40 minutes later)
A report on rural housing in Wales warns parts of the countryside "will lose the next generation of young people" without big changes in policy.A report on rural housing in Wales warns parts of the countryside "will lose the next generation of young people" without big changes in policy.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found rural homeless levels have risen more sharply than urban areas, yet there are 18,000 vacant homes in rural areas.The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found rural homeless levels have risen more sharply than urban areas, yet there are 18,000 vacant homes in rural areas.
The assembly government said it is to create a network of specialists who can help provide more affordable homes. It also found average house prices were more than five times the average income in all rural local authority areas.
And grants will be given for first time buyers to make homes energy efficient. The assembly government has announced a range of measures to address the issue.
An eight-month study by the charity concluded there is an increasing unmet housing need in rural Wales with the problems of affordability becoming more acute. They include affordable housing targets for Welsh planning authorities, up to £5,000 to help first-time buyers with energy efficiency and expanding a network of rural officials to target need and available land.
The report found social housing supply was more limited than in urban areas and rural homelessness levels had increased sharply. An eight-month study by the Rowntree foundation concluded there is an increasing unmet housing need in rural Wales with the problems of affordability becoming more acute.
The charity's report found social housing supply was more limited than in urban areas and rural homelessness levels had increased sharply.
REPORT MAIN FINDINGS Councils should use a significant proportion of second-home council tax to respond to housing needsA network of at least 12 "rural housing enablers" should be establishedThe assembly government should develop and promote good practice in bringing vacant properties back in to useA database of public land with potential for development should be createdA single definition of housing need and a single methodology for calculating them needs to be developed by ministers Joseph Rowntree Foundation Commission on Rural Housing in WalesREPORT MAIN FINDINGS Councils should use a significant proportion of second-home council tax to respond to housing needsA network of at least 12 "rural housing enablers" should be establishedThe assembly government should develop and promote good practice in bringing vacant properties back in to useA database of public land with potential for development should be createdA single definition of housing need and a single methodology for calculating them needs to be developed by ministers Joseph Rowntree Foundation Commission on Rural Housing in Wales
It found the average house price was now more than five times the average income in all rural local authority areas. It said the assembly government's plans to build 6,500 affordable homes across Wales by 2011 were "ambitious" but around three times more properties were needed for rural Wales alone.
The charity said the assembly government's plans to build 6,500 affordable homes across Wales by 2011 were "ambitious" but around three times more properties were needed for rural Wales alone. The charity also said the assembly government should develop and promote good practice guides for councils on how to bring vacant properties back into use.
It said the assembly government should develop and promote good practice guides for councils on how to bring vacant properties back into use.
The report recommends a "significant proportion" of second-home council tax should be used by rural local authorities to respond to housing needs in their areas.The report recommends a "significant proportion" of second-home council tax should be used by rural local authorities to respond to housing needs in their areas.
Derec Llwyd Morgan, the commission chair said: "Unless you have houses, you won't have workers staying in rural Wales.Derec Llwyd Morgan, the commission chair said: "Unless you have houses, you won't have workers staying in rural Wales.
"One of the problems we find is that young people cannot afford to stay there, so they migrate to the towns and cities, leaving rurality to the older people or non-working people.""One of the problems we find is that young people cannot afford to stay there, so they migrate to the towns and cities, leaving rurality to the older people or non-working people."
Shadow Housing Minister and North Wales AM Mark Isherwood said the report made "worrying reading". Steffan Harries, 26, from Trelech, Carmarthenshire, has been trying for two years to obtain planning permission on a plot of land he owns on the outskirts of the village.
There is a dilapidated old building on the site. He has been refused planning permission because the plot is outside the development plan for that area.
The report calls for a database of public land suitable for developmentThe report calls for a database of public land suitable for development
In response to the report, the Welsh Assembly Government announced a range of new measures to address the problems in its Rural Housing Development Scheme. He said he feels aggrieved that planning permission has been granted for around 12 houses in the village, none of which will be affordable.
It said it will provide funding to expand a pilot of 'rural enablers' - specialists who work in communities to identify the need for new homes and land that could be made available for development. He said: "There's a lot of talk about people moving out of rural areas to towns, you'd think that they'd try and do more to help young people stay in rural areas."
Grants of up to £5,000 will also be given to some first-time buyers to make their homes more energy efficient in areas where the difference between average incomes and mortgage costs are highest. Primary school teacher Hedd Tudur, 23, works in Carmarthen and wants to buy a house anywhere between the town and Llanelli.
And it is seeking the power for local councils to suspend the right to buy in areas of housing pressure. But on a salary of around £20,000, he said there was hardly anything he could afford.
Jocelyn Davies, deputy minister for housing, said: "I share the commission's concerns about the social and cultural sustainability of some of our rural communities." He said: "You're looking at £130,000. On the wage I'm on at the moment it's impossible for me on my own to afford that. I'll need a few more years to save for a deposit, it's tough.
She also outlined the assembly government's other commitments to increase the availability of affordable housing in Wales. Jocelyn Davies, deputy minister for housing, said she shared the commission's concerns and she was "pursuing a range of initiatives aimed at helping rural communities to meet their local housing needs in a sustainable way".
She said: "We have increased he grant available to build social housing for rent by £30m and we will look at Government landholdings, including former WDA and NHS Wales land, to see if they are suitable for disposal to meet the need for affordable housing."