The South West Regional Assembly has welcomed many of the points made in the recent Matthew Taylor Review of Affordable Housing and the Rural Economy.

The report which was published last week echoes some of the key themes which were already laid out in the region’s long term plan, the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy.

The Regional Assembly specifically welcomed the fact that Matthew Taylor MP pushes for the planning process to:

·Assist people in living near where they work rather than commuting long distances
·Promote more business activity and generate employment in villages
·Develop market towns to include sensitive design and infrastructure
·Make sure development is led by the community itself
·Encourage affordable housing in villages to the ‘norm’ rather than the exception

Assembly member and chair of the Regional Housing Body, Councillor Alan Connett said:

“This report confirms that we have a good grip of the issues facing our rural areas.

Mr Taylor’s vision of a living, working sustainable countryside and the desire to create a lasting legacy of places in which people want to live certainly reflects the way the Assembly has approached planning for the next 20 years and beyond in the South West.”

The Regional Assembly, in its role as Regional Housing Body, has supported an increase in the target for new affordable homes in rural areas. The South West region received a settlement of £826million from the Government for housing from 2008-11. The majority of this money (86 per cent) will be used to provide new affordable homes, which can be for social rent or shared ownership, in urban and rural areas.

The Regional Assembly in its role as the Regional Planning Body prepared the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the South West, and has set out clear policies for more sustainable development in the smaller communities of the region.

The Government is currently consulting on its Proposed Changes to the RSS.