Cambridgeshire Rural Affordable Housing Partnership

Discover how we are helping to bring forward affordable housing in rural Cambridgeshire.

Why is this needed?

Affordable housing is essential to keeping rural communities thriving, ensuring that people with strong local connections can live, work, and stay in the places they call home. However, rising house prices present a growing challenge—between May 2020 and May 2021, rural house prices increased at twice the rate of urban areas.
As affordability declines, many rural residents face difficult choices:

  • Young adults who grew up locally struggle to stay.
  • Young families find it hard to upsize within their community.
  • Returning residents with family ties are priced out.
  • Those moving to care for relatives face limited options.

At Cambridgeshire ACRE, we work to ensure affordable housing solutions are available—whether for rent or ownership—so that people can remain part of their rural communities.

A Partnership Approach to Rural Housing

The Cambridgeshire Rural Affordable Housing Partnership brings together four local authorities and six housing associations to tackle rural housing challenges collaboratively. This partnership:

  • Strengthens working relationships between councils and housing associations.
  • Ensures housing providers understand and meet planning policy requirements.
  • Supports rural housing development through expertise in surveys, community engagement, and site identification.

Delivering Practical, Evidence-Based Solutions

Affordable rural housing requires careful planning and strong partnerships. Cambridgeshire ACRE plays a vital role in supporting communities by:

  • Conducting Housing Needs Surveys to provide robust, data-driven evidence.
  • Guiding communities through the housing development process.
  • Identifying suitable land and working with landowners to enable development.

With deep expertise in rural housing and a commitment to community-driven solutions, we work to deliver high-quality, sustainable homes that preserve the character of rural villages while ensuring they remain vibrant and future-proofed.

“Affordable housing is key to thriving rural communities—we’re here to make it happen.”

What impact has our work had?

  • Almost 400 homes brought forward in the last 8 years across all of Cambridgeshire.
  • 30 schemes brought forward supported by our support, advice and expertise in the last 8 years.
  • 5 further schemes due to be completed over the 2023/24 financial year.

How can you get involved?

The Senior Rural Housing Enabler at Cambridgeshire ACRE can provide advice and support to parish councils regarding bring forward affordable housing in their parish. We can also advise housing associations, developers and landowners on what is involved in undertaking a survey and why this is required.

Updates

Watch a case study regarding rural affordable housing development in the parish of Colne, Huntingdonshire.

Useful links

Who can I talk to about this work?

Please contact Gary Roffey, on 01353 865031 or email gary.roffey@cambsacre.org.uk.