Village Housing Needs Surveys

The Council works in partnership with Cambridgeshire ACRE and a number of Housing Associations to deliver affordable housing for villages in South Cambridgeshire. The Housing Needs Survey is a key part of the process.

The Housing Needs Survey complements the Housing Register by adding to the Council's understanding of housing need in rural communities. The survey canvases the opinion of local people on the value of affordable housing to the community and, when combined with the Housing Register, provides an accurate assessment of the scale of housing need together with a greater understanding of the characteristics of this need.

The survey questionnaire is posted to every address in the village. It includes a covering letter from Cambridgeshire ACRE explaining the purpose of the survey and assuring participants that their confidentiality will be maintained. There is also a letter of support from the Parish Council encouraging people to participate in the survey. The questionnaires are returned (via FREEPOST envelope) to Cambridgeshire ACRE who analyse and write up the results.

Cambridgeshire ACRE present the results to a Parish Council meeting, usually also attended by the District Council and partner Housing Association (the survey is normally paid for by a Housing Association although Parish Councils can commission Cambridgeshire ACRE directly). The presentation of the results to all partners provides an opportunity to develop a shared understanding of the potential scope for an affordable housing development in the village.

The Housing Needs Survey is a key part of the evidence base required for gaining planning permission for exception sites. Exception sites are sites within or adjoining villages that are granted planning permission for affordable housing where planning permission would not normally be approved. The benefit of the exception site is that it will contain a planning condition that requires the housing to be retained for local people in perpetuity.

For those villages surveyed since April 2003 a copy of the survey results are available to download from the list below. Alternatively, up to date information can be provided upon request regarding the number of applicants on our Housing Register - please contact Andrea Buckley on 01954 713356 or email andrea.buckley@scambs.gov.uk (This link will open in a new window)

Please note:

Some of the files below are quite large and may take some time to download.

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