Housing

With average house prices significantly exceeding average salaries, and monthly rents among the highest in the South East, Oxfordshire’s lack of affordable housing threatens the social fabric of the county. Working closely with communities and key stakeholders, we help create solutions to meet Oxfordshire’s housing needs.

Community-led Housing Support

Through the Collaborative Housing initiative, we offer practical support and guidance to all kinds of community-led housing approaches, including Community Land Trusts, Cooperatives, collaborations with Housing Associations, Cohousing and more.

Rural Housing Enabling Service

In England, the average rural house price is sixteen times greater than the average income. This disparity is forcing young people and families to move away from friends, families, and jobs —causing significant hardship for the individuals affected, and leaving communities struggling to fill vacancies and maintain essential services.

With funding from DEFRA through Action for Rural Communities England, we help rural communities and Parish Councils to assess affordable housing provision, local housing needs, and work with landowners, planners, and developers (such as housing associations) to facilitate solutions.

The Process

After conducting a Housing Needs Survey, our Rural Housing Enablers facilitate and support communities with the next steps:

• We help locate suitable sites for affordable housing schemes, and leverage policy where appropriate. For example, we can advocate for a site to become a ‘Rural Exception’, which allows small rural housing schemes to be delivered at a reduced land cost and prioritises people with a local connection for the affordable homes created.
• We support communities with the planning permission process and help them to appoint delivery partners and constructors.
• We support wider community engagement with designs and plans for developments.

To find out more about how we can help your community deliver local affordable housing please reach out.

Housing Needs Survey

Housing Needs Surveys identify a communities housing requirement, assess the potential for affordable housing schemes, and provide critical context for planning applications.

Community First Oxfordshire have facilitated hundreds of Housing Needs Surveys, and our in-house experts contextualise the methodology and manage the process from start to finish.

If you’d like to discuss a Housing Needs Survey with one of our team members, get in contact with us for more information.