Landowner Casestudy: Robert Medway, Curdridge rural affordable housing scheme
Landowner’s and their sites are crucial to providing affordable housing for local people in rural areas.
Rural Affordable Housing provides a small number of affordable homes to rent, or part buy to enable local people on low incomes to live in the community where they have been brought up, have family and friends and in which they often work.
Local landowners are often aware or have some experience of the lack of affordable housing in rural areas. Perhaps a family member, friend or employee has had difficulty finding somewhere to live. Perhaps a local shop or school has closed because the people who would have supported it have had to move away. Being a landowner means that providing a site for affordable housing can make all the difference to the sustainability of rural communities. In return it can generate a lump sum or rent that can be used as income or an investment for the business.
Robert Medway, the landowner of a site in Curdridge Parish, Winchester agreed to sell part of his land to enable a small affordable housing scheme for local people connected to the local area to be provided.
Of his reasons for wanting to become involved, he said, “my father had been involved in a similar scheme some years before, so I had the benefit of seeing how a project works out in practice ….”
“I have two children, and I have seen at first hand the need for housing to enable young folk to live close to their family and to their roots.”
“My agreement was clearly critical to the project, and I needed to balance good stewardship of the land which has been in my family for generations and entrusted to my children with recognising the needs of the wider community.
As landowner I have been actively involved in this project as a member of the working group, alongside Curdridge Parish Council, Winchester City Council, Hastoe Housing Association and the Rural Housing Enabler at Action Hampshire. The group steered the project through to its completion, including organising community consultation and promotion events.
Robert said, “The scheme of 8 affordable homes for rent and shared ownership will be a huge benefit to the Parish. The main reward for me is being privileged to see young families move into their new homes and seeing the impact these schemes have on the wider community”.
“I can recommend to landowner’s who may have suitable site for a rural affordable housing scheme to contact Action Hampshire’s Rural Housing team who will be able to provide more help and information”
Action Hampshire’s Rural Housing team can be contacted at housing@actionhampshire.org
