Rural affordable homes plans
Thirty six rural based councils are set to be granted Government funds to help plan for new affordable homes in countryside locations.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), along with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), will provide the funding, as well as offer training for those in regeneration and urban design jobs. UK councils were chosen using a competition in planning and design, thought up and judged by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), the DCLG and DEFRA. Selected councils will be granted between £4,000 to £70,000 in funding, which will be provided during the 2009/10 and 2010/11 financial years.
According to regen.net, awarded councils include £50,000 for Wiltshire County Council, to allow regeneration of its Churchfields estate in Salisbury, including the construction of a community centre, open spaces and a school. Other awards include £30,000 for Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, to allow redevelopment of its copper works site, to economically regenerate the Churnet Valley area.
John Healey, Government Housing Minister, said of the funding: ''We know a lack of affordable homes for local people is acute in rural communities - people have to be able to stay in the countryside for rural areas to prosper - that's why we're backing councils with funding.''
Author: Sarah Howard
Keywords: Design jobs UK