Rural Wales needs to make better use of housing stock

The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Cymru has welcomed a new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) looking at the scale of Wales’ rural housing problem.

The report calls for a huge increase in affordable housing supply in rural Wales and sets out a number of recommendations for how this might be achieved, including making better use of the existing stock and more joined up working between the Welsh Assembly and Local Authorities.

Steve Long, Director of CIH Cymru, gave his support to the recommendations: “Over the past few years, CIH Cymru has sought to highlight the housing challenges being faced by rural communities in Wales through our policy work and good practice briefings.

We welcome this new report by JRF which provides a valuable addition to the evidence base on the scale of Wales’ rural housing problems and support the recommendation for co-operation, coordination and strong leadership at a local and national level.”

“We also see an important role for CIH Cymru in continuing its work with the housing sector to develop innovative and flexible responses to rural housing needs.”