Church Commissioners adopts new approach to deliver affordable rural housing

The Church Commissioners responded to the challenge of the Coming Home report to deliver more affordable housing by creating the role of affordable housing asset manager. This person has been building partnerships with rural housing associations, community land trusts and community housing enablers to identify and take forward rural exception sites (RESs) on their land.

An RES is a plot of land that lies outside the development boundary of a town or village, and therefore would not receive planning permission for full market housing. However, if a housing needs survey demonstrates that there is a shortage of affordable housing for local people, then the planning authority can make an exception on the site, provided the majority of homes built are affordable in perpetuity.

Carpenter’s Yard is a rural exception site that has created 13 new homes, including 10 affordable ones, within an existing village in east Kent. The development is the result of close collaboration and partnership between the English Rural Housing Association, Shepherdswell with Coldred Community Land Trust, Dover District Council and the Church Commissioners. The development includes a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments and two and three-bedroom houses, all designed to meet local housing needs.

Three open-market bungalows have also been built to provide options for older residents seeking opportunities to downsize and allowing family houses within the existing community to become available.

The new development has direct footpaths to the existing village hall grounds, as well as the public right of way in the adjacent fields and into the village, helping to embed the new homes and the residents within the rest of the community.

The development was officially opened by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal in September 2024, who was joined by the Bishop of Dover and the First Church Estates Commissioner at this occasion.

Two of the new residents at Carpenter’s Yard said that their new home had been the answer to all their prayers:

"After years of struggling with rising private rents, this home has given us security and peace of mind. The financial stability from our long-term tenancy agreement is an enormous relief. It's not just about having a roof over our heads; it's about being able to stay in the community we love and contribute to village life."