What do Housing Needs Surveys tell us about the changing face of rural communities?

Our new report, Beyond the Numbers: Rural Housing Need Across Cambridgeshire, brings together the findings from eight Housing Needs Surveys completed during 2025–26, alongside resident voices and wider housing trends.

 

The report explores the hidden nature of rural housing need, highlighting the challenges facing younger households struggling to remain in their communities, older residents unable to downsize locally and the shortage of smaller, affordable homes across many villages.

During the year, Cambridgeshire ACRE worked with parish councils, local authorities and housing association partners to engage almost 900 households, identifying evidence of need for 175 affordable homes across the communities surveyed.

As well as presenting the evidence, the report explains how Housing Needs Surveys support parish councils to understand local need and make informed decisions about the future of their communities.

Whether you’re a parish councillor, local authority officer, housing association, landowner or simply interested in rural housing, we hope the report provides a valuable insight into one of the biggest challenges facing rural Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Download Beyond the numbers rural housing need across Cambridgeshire here.