Countryside residents priced out of their own area

Date:Friday 25th June 2010
Author: Susanna Kavka

Residents of rural areas are often finding that they cannot afford to take a step on to the property ladder in the place that they grew up.

According to the Countryside Foundation for Education, it is becoming "absolutely impossible" for some people to get into the housing market in the area they spent their childhood.

Gary Richardson, chief executive of the charity that aims to inform people of the issues surrounding living in the countryside, explained that there are "pockets" of rural areas where the increase in the cost of housing has resulted in local residents being unable to purchase a property.

"Communities, local councils and planning authorities are becoming far more aware of the need for affordable social housing," Mr Richardson stated.

His comments came after a study by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs found that the average life expectancy was higher for people living in the countryside compared with those in large cities.