Rural communities destroyed by inflated house prices
Jul 7 2009 by Ben Guy, The Journal
RURAL communities are being destroyed in a 'Northern Bermuda Triangle' because of inflated house prices, a report by the National Housing Federation has said.
The federation has released new research which it says shows rural communities have been consistently overlooked by policy makers.
It also calls for a Northern Rural Way Initiative to save the village way of life.
Alnwick, Castle Morpeth and Berwick all appear in the federation’s list of the top 10 most unaffordable North addresses.
Derek Long, National Housing Federation head of North region said that 2.3m rural residents in the North were living in a ‘policy Bermuda Triangle’. He said: “We must put rural communities at the centre of national and regional policy making before it’s too late.
“Without more affordable rural housing traditional village life could die out.
“More and more young people will move to less expensive, urban areas, sapping the lifeblood from rural shops, schools and all the services that make family life possible.
“We are calling today for a Northern Rural Way to provide the basis for swift action to sort out the economic and housing crises facing northern rural communities.
“Without that new approach, the next decade could push many communities beyond their tipping point.”
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