Rural communities across Shropshire must provide more affordable housing and a centre providing key services if they are to survive, the Government’s Rural Advocate has warned.
Dr Stuart Burgess, chairman of the Commission for Rural Communities, spoke of the problems facing villages including the closure of post offices, threats to schools, the future of pubs and village halls and the lack of public transport
His comments come in the wake of a report into problems facing pubs across the county in Saturday’s Shropshire Star.
Dr Burgess said the county’s villages and other rural communities needed to ensure more affordable housing was built to ensure local primary schools and post offices are sustainable.
And he believes each village needs a central hub housing amenities to prevent people feeling isolated.
Concerns have been raised in the county from elderly people - and in some cases younger residents - who feel isolated because of a lack of public transport.
Dr Burgess said: “There’s some very good things happening in Shropshire and very good people doing very creative things in villages, but there are particular issues.
“One of the greatest issues is falling school rolls.
“I’ve been urging the Government to keep as many open as possible, but if the numbers are falling and the buildings are Victorian and not in a good state that raises questions.
“I believe if you have a good number of affordable rural homes in your village that will hopefully provide pupils for the school.
“Providing more affordable housing in Shropshire villages underpins sustainability, not only for schools but for shops and post offices as well. It is critical we get this right.”
He also warned of the importance of post offices and village shops and the risk faced if they closed as if one shuts the other’s future could also be out in jeopardy.
Dr Burgess said a key to helping villages to survive would be for them to have a central hub where people could go for their facilities.
“That centre could be the pub if it’s good, a church, a village hall or a shop,” he said. “It needs to be a centre where there is a post office, shop, cafe with internet access and a place where the doctor can call.”
Exclusive by John Kirk
4 Comments
We are being run by bean counters,
who waste far to much and provide very little.
The government and the local pigs in the trough
are not fit for purpose!
This will never happen ie affordable homes built in rural areas as the interlopers who have been there for the last few years do there best to stop them being built and due to the interlopers ages will not care the schiools close , will not care the post office closes, do not give a jot about a local shop as they order it on the nest anyway , and know doubt they prey for the fall of the fatmers so there are no smells or dirty lanes or roads etc etc just what we want villages full of old duffers who look out just for theselves and do not care about enything or any one else becouse it is there village for now (well i suppose for a few years any way.
I’ve got a better idea - lets vote out this dispicable gov’t who cares not one jot about the countryside or who lives in it !!!
Affordable houses are just a red herring and always will be, because if anything building houses [affordable or not] is a political agenda on its own with New Labour - something the outgoing John Prescott left for us all and where is he now ?
please excuse my spelling above one to many glasses of wine i think.