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 are working on producing an new Guide for Affordable Housing in Rural Communities. 

The new guide will aim 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; and
• 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 more information and advice about rural housing can contact the Policy & Development Team at Maidstone Borough Council on 01622 602166, or 01622 602546.

Here is a list of villages where affordable housing schemes have been completed. The numbers in brackets refers to the number of homes built.

Harrietsham (12)

Chart Sutton (8)

Headcorn (15)

Leeds (10)

Lenham (22)

Stockbury (6)

East Farliegh (5)

Broomfield & Kingswood (18)

Please click on the following link to see photographs and further details on previous Rural Housing Developments.

Locally there are some key partnerships in which the Council participates at a strategic level. Particularly important is the Rural Housing Enabler Project Steering Group.

The Rural Housing Steering Group is project lead by Action Communities in Rural Kent and is supported by the Kent Local Authorities and several housing associations 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.