The National Rural Conference 2025

Bookings are now officially open for the National Rural Conference 2025, which will take place online from Monday 15 to Thursday 18 September.
This is the Rural Services Network’s flagship event of the year, bringing together rural decision-makers, practitioners, and advocates for four days of live, interactive sessions focused on the future of rural communities.
Click here to book!

The price of countryside living

Inside Housing carries a piece on the affordability of homes in rural areas.

The article written by Calor Gas highlights the shift of urban workers, retirees and second home owners to the countryside, and the resulting pressure on rural housing markets and affordability for local people.

According to statistics from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the average lower-quartile house price has risen to 9.1 compared with 7.4 in predominantly urban areas.

The report highlights that while the National Planning Policy Framework has increased rural housing delivery through its presumption in favour of sustainable development, this has been through schemes that ‘simply bolt executive housing estates onto rural communities with little thought to their needs’.

Full article:

? Inside Housing - The price of countryside living: how can it become more affordable?