Focus
The Prince of Wales: Rural Affordable Housing
15th March 2011
Providing affordable housing to people living in rural communities is important to The Prince of Wales and he sees it as key to helping rural areas thrive.As The Duke of Cornwall, The Prince of Wales has the responsibility for managing the Duchy of Cornwall estate, a landed estate which has provided the Heir to the Throne with an income for centuries.
The Duchy of Cornwall, comprises 54,424 hectares of land in 22 counties, mainly across the South West, is managed in conjunction with the Prince of Wales’s principles of providing long-term, responsible stewardship.
One problem faced by rural areas is the increase in property prices can often outweigh local wages, forcing people to move away in order to afford a family home. The Prince of Wales is a passionate supporter of rural communities and has launched many initiatives to provide support. The Prince of Wales's Affordable Rural Housing Initiative is one such initiative.
The idea of the Affordable Rural Housing Initiative, established in 2003, is to engage the private sector in providing affordable homes to those living and working in rural areas to help communities to thrive.
Many of the schemes in existence are run on Duchy of Cornwall land, with The Prince launching the first in Oxfordshire in 2008.
Duchy land also has a number of regenerated derelict cottages and farm buildings for local communities which have been used to provide a variety of rented houses, cottages and rural workplaces.
As a farmer himself, The Prince of Wales is passionate about preserving rural communities, and the Affordable Rural Housing Initiative is one of many projects The Prince is involved in working to provide support to those living in these communities.
The initiative is led by Business in the Community, which aims to promote corporate social responsibility and which The Prince has been President of for over 25 years.
Engaging with landowners, property owners, housebuilders, developers and lenders, all exploring ways to deliver affordable housing, the BITC has been successful in encouraging many businesses to look at the different opportunities available.
Since the initiative was launched, The Prince has made a number of visits to tenants living in rural affordable housing.
The Prince met residents in Pilton in June 2010, where he planted a commemorative tree.
In July 2010, His Royal Highness visited a rural affordable housing scheme built by Westward Housing Group on land provided by the Duchy of Cornwall, in Marke Valley, Cornwall to see how the initiative was benefitting those using it.
In July 2010, The Prince launched The Prince’s Countryside Fund, a collaboration of businesses that work together to promote sustainable futures for British agriculture and the wider rural economy.
View the Flickr gallery below.
Further information:
Visit the Duchy of Cornwall website