Affordable housing in rural areas and local connection

Providing affordable housing in rural areas helps:

• support family and social networks
• the well as the sustainability of the local economy

There is less opportunity for development in rural areas. We use the Rural Exception site policy to provide affordable housing where there is a local need.

We allocate affordable homes developed on rural exception sites differently to homes built through usual planning policies:

• we give higher priority to applicants who can demonstrate a strong local connection to the area
• we define local connection to an in the Local Connection Criteria as part of the area in the legally binding Section 106 Agreement for each individual scheme

Local Connection Criteria are specific to affordable homes on individual rural exception sites but broadly follow the same structure. We give the highest priority to applicants who:

• currently live in the area
• have previously lived in the area
• are in employment in the area
• have close family relations in the area

If we can't find applicants who meet the criteria, we can apply it to the surrounding villages.

We allocate affordable homes on rural exception sites to households

• with the strongest local connection to the area
• who have the most urgent housing need
• who have been waiting the longest

Local connection schemes

There are three local connect schemes:

• Braintree Road, Great Bardfield
• Water Lane, Pebmarsh
• Greenfields properties in local villages