Countryside in danger of becoming a playground for the rich

Unless the Government acts to encourage more rural housing it is in danger of making the countryside a place for the well off at the expense of local people who can no longer afford to get on the property ladder, says Brian Berry, head of public policy at the RICS.

Berry continued, "The pressures on the countryside have seen a manifest increase over recent years. 105,000 people migrated from urban to rural areas in 2005, a 25% increase since 2000. However, the supply of housing in rural areas has actually been moving in the opposite direction with a 4% fall in housing completions between 2002 and 2005.

Berry warned that, "New housing in the countryside must not repeat the mistakes of the past with poor standards of design which has been so destructive to the beauty of the countryside. We support the call for previously developed public land to be made available for affordable housing but also emphasise that development should take place on Greenfield sites if deemed to be necessary. The countryside and rural areas also need to adapt to changing circumstances and this may include building more homes. The countryside is not a museum."