Parish Profiles available for County Durham
County Durham now has a better understanding of rural housing needs in each Civil Parish, thanks to DCA commissioning a report by ARC4 in 2024.
It highlights the effect and scale of the lack of affordable housing developments in rural Durham using secondary data such as census data, housing sales and other publicly available sources.
You can view an example parish profile here
To get a free profile for your area, please contact Susan Tron
How a Northumberland village is addressing their housing needs
Watch the story of a Parish Council’s approach to addressing the housing needs in their village, in this short film on Longhoughton, Northumberland.
Guide to affordable rural housing
For practical advice on rural affordable housing, download The Parish Councillors’ Guide to Rural Affordable Housing, produced by the Rural Housing Alliance.
Recent national research
Groundbreaking research by ARC4, English Rural and Rural Housing Solutions, using the Rural Affordable Housing Needs Model (RAHNM), has uncovered alarming disparities in the hidden crisis in the countryside, showing that rural England faces a 50% higher affordable housing shortage than urban areas. It has been shown that in some areas the waiting list for social homes is 93 years, and without action, these people will never be housed.
Read the Mind the Gap: How Rural Communities are Falling Behind on Affordable Homes report
Busting myths about rural affordable housing
Affordable housing in rural County Durham is often misunderstood, leading to concerns and resistance that could prevent much-needed developments. We’ve produced a myth-busting guide addressing these common concerns.
Read the common myths – and the truths behind them here
Case Studies
We have gathered three case studies showing the potential of what can be done in rural areas.
Follow the links below for more information:
