Rural Housing Enabler
Over the next year CRCC are delivering Cornwall’s Rural Housing Enabler Programme in partnership with Cornwall Council’s own affordable housing team.
Our programme focuses on:
Unlocking stalled affordable housing sites – we will work with landowners, developers, and community-led housing partners to identify why permissions have not yet been delivered and help find solutions.
Partnership working and community engagement – we are establishing a Community Rural Affordable Housing Forum to bring together relevant communities, housing partners and others to share ideas, good practice, and explore opportunities.
Site finding with parishes and communities – we will support councils and communities to identify, promote, and progress sites for affordable homes that meet local needs. This may include supporting the facilitation of local housing need surveys.
Cornwall Rural Affordable Housing Forum
As part of the Rural Housing Enabler Programme we are delivering, the Cornwall Rural Affordable Housing Forum is a new space for collaboration, learning, and action around rural housing delivery. Bringing together parish councillors, community groups, housing associations, landowners, and local support organisations, the Forum aims to connect everyone working to provide affordable homes in Cornwall’s rural and coastal communities.
Through quarterly meetings and workshops — three online and one in person — the Forum offers opportunities to share experience, explore challenges, and highlight examples of good practice.
Each session will feature expert speakers and open discussion, creating a supportive environment where ideas can grow into real projects.
Rural affordable housing faces unique barriers: land availability, planning constraints, infrastructure costs, and community engagement. The Forum provides a space to tackle these issues collectively, helping stakeholders to build knowledge, partnerships, and confidence.
By participating, you’ll join a network of people and organisations working to keep Cornwall’s rural places vibrant and inclusive — ensuring local people have access to secure, high-quality, and affordable homes in the communities they love.
Your collaboration
We are committed to working closely with community groups and parish councils as vital partners in this work. Your knowledge of local priorities, opportunities and challenges will be central to ensuring we can focus our support in the right places.
The Rural Housing Enabling programme is a national scheme funded by DEFRA and delivered through the Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) network. It aims to boost the supply of affordable housing in rural areas. This programme funds Rural Housing Enablers (RHEs) to work with communities to identify housing needs, secure funding, and navigate the development process for affordable housing schemes.
Get in touch
If you would like to find out more or discuss how we might help you or your parish, please contact: