Rural Housing Week 2024 - 1st July to 5th July
Developing in rural areas is something that Willow Tree Housing Partnership takes great pride in; providing affordable housing in rural areas can be challenging, but it is essential to the prosperity of rural communities and allows people to stay within their local community.
To ensure the sustainability of our rural communities, we need a long-term strategy from the next government.
Rural Housing Week 2024 highlights the importance of ensuring that our rural communities can continue to live, work and thrive in these areas.
The Rentplus rent-to-buy scheme offers people an affordable opportunity to get on the housing ladder. Many of our Rentplus homes are in rural locations which have higher-than-average property values meaning that, for a lot of local people, buying a property in the area isn’t a viable option. This is what the scheme means to one family, who recently bought their Rentplus home in Puriton at the end of their tenancy:
“The scheme has been amazing as houses in the area are hard to come by and expensive, I’ve lived here for 25 years and do not think I would have been able to stay without this scheme.”
Here's what our residents say
“Being able to live in a rural property has impacted our lives a great deal. Mental health has improved as it's a lot quieter and safer. All the neighbours are friendly and helpful. The house is of a very good quality and easy to maintain. There are lovely walks on our doorstep and everyone in Crapstone village has been lovely. Amenities close by in Yelverton and the school is still close by.” - Crapstone resident
"Living in rural housing for me is unmistakably the best opportunity to have come my way as from childhood I have been brought up in the sticks, as we say. Where I am situated I am close to friends and family and grandchildren, and as anyone knows, sometimes helping out with child care is part of the requirements of being a grandparent . Providing local housing in our rural settings is an absolute must , so greatful to be given this opportunity, local affordable homes for local rural people. Perfect” - Crapstone resident
"Moving to and living in Crapstone has been the most idillic situation for me. It has enabled me to stay very close to my family, who also live in the local area. I also work at the local hospital, which is a 10 minute drive, enabling my commute to be very easy and simple. Living in Crapstone for the past year has been lovely. My grandparents live in the village and they are a 5 minute walk, enabling me to pop in to see them regularly. I’ve got lovely neighbours who are all as gracious about living in this beautiful area. This is my first home and it has exceeded all expectations! The house is absolutely beautiful, everything about it has been perfect! - Crapstone resident
“Unable to purchase a home and requiring an additional bedroom, we joined HomeFinder Somerset in 2020 and moved into our new home this year, 2024. We no longer have to share a bedroom with our daughter and the additional space to live comfortably is a godsend. The house layout and build quality is exceptional. We never could have imagined living in a home this beautiful and it's difficult to put into words what this means to our family. We are very grateful to Willow Tree Housing Partnership giving us the opportunity to live in such a beautiful home back in the village.” - North Petherton resident
