Rural Housing
Maidstone has a total of 41 Parishes in the Borough. Property
within the villages and small towns of Maidstone are expensive; a
reflection on the attractiveness of the Borough. This means that
many local people are priced out of the housing market and unable
to afford to live locally. Through the provision of affordable
housing in rural locations we can help local people to remain in
the village or town where they have strong family or employment
ties.
Providing affordable housing is a high priority for the Council.
We are encouraging the supply of affordable housing in rural
communities by providing funds to subsidise the costs of new homes
and by the use of our Rural Exception Policy, which enables homes
to be built on sites in villages or towns that would not normally
obtain planning permission.
The Council would like to see more affordable homes built for
local people in rural areas and has therefore
produced a
Guide for Affordable Housing in Rural Communities.
The guide aims to:
- Inspire and encourage Parish Council’s, landowners and
local communities wanting to get involved in affordable housing by
setting out some of the options available and steps that need to be
taken in order to deliver a successful local needs affordable rural
housing scheme;
- Explain how Maidstone Borough Council’s Rural Exception
Policy works and how affordable housing can be built to help meet
the needs of local people in rural communities. It also sets out
how we will contribute to sustainability and regeneration in the
towns and villages of rural Maidstone;
Anyone wanting further copies of this guide, or more information
and advice about rural housing can contact the Policy &
Development Team at Maidstone Borough Council on 01622 602166, or
01622 602609.
Here is a list of villages where affordable housing schemes have
been completed. The numbers in brackets refers to the number of
homes built. Please click on the following link to see photographs
and further details on previous Rural Housing
Developments.
Harrietsham (12)
Chart Sutton (8)
Headcorn (15)
Leeds (10)
Lenham (22)
Stockbury (6)
Locally there are some key partnerships in which the Council
participates at a strategic level. Particularly important is the
Rural Housing Group and the Rural Housing Enabler Project Steering
Group.
The Rural Housing Group consists of Maidstone Borough Council,
Action with Communities in Rural
Kent (ACRK), and the Rural Housing Trust (RHT),
which meets quarterly in order to monitor the progress of rural
housing schemes and surveys in the Borough.
The Rural Parish Map shows which parishes within Maidstone have
had local housing need surveys undertaken and by whom. It also
shows where previous rural exception site developments have been
built, in response to the survey findings.
The Rural Housing Steering Group is project lead by ACRK and is
supported by the Kent Local Authorities and several RSLs who
develop affordable rural housing in Kent. The group meets quarterly
in order to discuss rural issues and provide feedback with respect
to rural housing projects across Kent.