Housing to Meet Local Need
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New National Guide to Using Church Land and Property for Affordable Housing |
The Social Responsibility Forum has long been concerned with the lack of affordable housing in many parts of Cumbria, which is preventing a number of local people from being able to continue to live in their home communities.
In parts of the Lake District the average house price is 10 times the average wage, making both house purchase and renting in the commercial sector unaffordable for the majority of people growing up in these areas.
There is an urgent need for more sites for housing to meet this local need and for the planning process to expedite affordable housing development.
We invite you to take action, in your church and as individuals, to encourage an increasing availability of housing to meet local need by:
- 1. Responding positively to planning applications for affordable housing development in your local area. Write to the planning authority welcoming such proposals. This will help to balance any negative responses that they may received. Let our voices be heard, as people of faith, for the benefit of our communities.
- 2. Considering whether your church could release any surplus land or buildings for this purpose. Click here to view the Social Responsibility Forum's own discussion paper with advice on this issue, and here to access a free web-based resource that provides practical and technical information to assist churches in providing affordable housing.