Frequently Asked Questions

There is no doubt that there is an acute shortage of good quality, affordable housing across southern England. The picture in rural areas is often more acute, with lower levels of supply and higher property prices. Figures from Test Valley Borough Council Housing Register and the recent Longstock Parish Housing Needs Survey indicate a local housing need need for around a dozen dwellings.

By building small-scale developments of affordable homes, we give people the opportunity to remain in the communities they grew up in and to live close to their jobs, families and support networks.

These homes will be for people who are:

• Unable to afford to buy in the Parish

• Unable to secure suitable rented accommodation

• And have a strong local connection to the village and and the community

'Local' means a person who is:

• Currently resident in the parish;

• Was previously resident in the parish and wants to return;

• Is permanently employed in the parish; or

• Is connected by close family still living in the parish

These qualifying criteria will be defined within legal agreements, accompanying any successful planning permission. This ensures the homes benefit both current and future generations.

If a future vacancy occurs in one of the homes and no one from Longstock, with the qualifying connection, is in need at that time, then applicants with similar connections to neighbouring Parishes will be considered. The named Parishes and priority order will be agreed with the Parish Council and Test Valley BC and specified in the planning agreement.

Before planning permission is granted, we will enter into a legally enforceable planning agreement with the Local Authority to ensure that the affordable homes are allocated to local people.

The full costs of the scheme will be met by English Rural Housing Association. Housing Associations are "not for profit" organisations, which invest all their income into the business. There are no profits or dividends for shareholders.

New developments are primarily financed from a combination of capital reserves and commercial borrowing, often topped up with Government Grant funding.

The aim is to submit a planning application in the Summer of 2021, allowing construction to commence at the beginning of 2022, with the new homes being finished and ready for in Spring 2023.

NO. The statutory Right to Buy applies to Council owned properties only. A similar, but less generous scheme, the Right to Acquire is available to Housing Association tenants, but not those in smaller designated rural settlements. Longstock has the designation of a smaller rural settlement and therefore tenants will not be able to buy or acquire their rented homes.

Our shared ownership properties are sold leasehold. We use the model lease approved by the Regulator of Social Housing, which caps the maximum share a lessee can purchase to 80%. This prevents acquisition of the freehold and allows English Rural to ensure priority is always accorded to local residents.

English Rural is asking people, who have a local connection and need an affordable home, and who are interested in applying for one of the proposed homes, to register their interest by clicking the tab at the top of the page. Alternatively you can visit our website at englishrural.org.uk and read more about what we do. If you prefer, you can also call 020 7820 7930 to request a form or speak to someone about registering.

Interested applicants looking for an affordable rented home will also need to register with Test Valley Borough Council and access to the online application is via Hampshire Home Choice .