Rural Affordable Housing: Why It Must Be Seen As Infrastructure — and How the RHE Model Proves It Works

The call to recognise affordable housing as infrastructure — made recently in Social Housing — is timely and compelling. Housing isn’t a luxury; it’s essential to economic growth, healthy communities and social stability. But too often the infrastructure framing focuses on cities and big towns, leaving rural communities at risk of being overlooked. That has to change. Rural affordable housing is infrastructure too — and the Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) programme shows how treating it as such delivers real results. Social Housing+1 

Rural Communities Need Homes to Thrive 

Across rural England, affordable homes are scarce. House prices have risen faster than incomes, making it harder for local workers, young families and older residents to stay in the communities they grew up in or serve. This isn’t just a housing issue — it affects local schools, shops, healthcare, transport services and the very social fabric of villages and market towns. 

RHEs: A Practical Infrastructure Solution 

The evidence from the Government-funded Rural Housing Enabler programme is clear: when rural housing challenges are treated like infrastructure problems, delivery accelerates. RHEs are independent “honest brokers” who work on the ground to: 

• Build trust and partnerships between communities, councils, landowners and housing providers. 

• Identify local need and suitable sites for affordable homes. 

• Navigate planning and development barriers that often stall small rural schemes. 

• Drive schemes forward that otherwise might never launch. Countryside Research Institute 

Since 2023, RHEs have helped generate a pipeline of 227 rural housing schemes with the potential for over 2,100 affordable homes across 19 counties — homes that would support local workers, keep families together, and strengthen village economies and services. Countryside Research Institute 

Strong Social Impact — and Value for Money 

Investing in RHEs isn’t just socially beneficial — it’s cost-effective. Independent evaluation models show that every £1 invested generates an estimated £3.30 in social outcomes through stronger communities and greater housing stability. RHEs help unlock developments that otherwise wouldn’t happen because local authorities and small providers lack the specialist rural expertise or capacity. Research Repository 

What Infrastructure Status Could Unlock 

Recognising affordable housing as infrastructure — explicitly including rural delivery — would: 

• Secure long-term investment for RHEs so they can operate consistently across all rural areas. 

• Embed rural housing in broader national infrastructure planning, alongside transport, utilities and digital connectivity. 

• Elevate mechanisms like Rural Exception Sites that are tailor-made to deliver proportionate, community-led housing in villages. ACRE 

A Future Where Rural Places Thrive 

Affordable housing enables people to work, contribute to local economies and remain part of their communities. That’s infrastructure. The RHE programme shows that with the right support and investment, rural England can deliver thousands of homes that keep communities vibrant and resilient. 

If we are serious about treating affordable housing as infrastructure — not an add-on — then rural housing delivery mechanisms like RHEs must be at the heart of policy, funding and long-term planning.