Vanessa Hale
Director, Research
Our third publication, ‘Housing Futures – The Village Revival’, focuses on the renewal of villages throughout the UK, a perhaps counter intuitive trend based on survey findings that point to people seeking amenity-rich environments within a village setting.
Through this survey work, we have identified five core demographic groups – we call them tribes. We believe that each of these new village dwellers will be important to this revival.
The Downtons are an influential family with substantial income living in the grandest village house, which once would once have been owned by the local squire. Many of these properties have now been acquired by buyers using property equity to purchase a rural idyll.
Elderflowers are the retirees who have assets, including their own home, and pension income. The Elderflowers, born after the Second World War, have either lived in the village all their lives or are empty nesters looking to move into a village house that suits their changing needs. Skilled, experienced, healthy and active, they are in a position to offer quite a bit back to the village whilst enjoying a positive move into and through retirement.
Rusticarians are the entrepreneurs and creatives who can bring dynamism to the village economy. These diverse countryside dwellers embrace new approaches to work and lifestyle. In all likelihood, they work from home with the assistance of technology or possibly they have benefited from a strong career which has allowed them to change career paths to a more local venture, perhaps making artisanal chocolate.
Rubies are the new families who are keen to move to a village location to raise their children. Attracting new residents, particularly adults with children, is vital for a village. This group of predominantly younger families supports the local school, uses community facilities for classes and leisure activities, and sustains local shops.
The Onesies are the single-person households, a growing group across all ages in the UK. This tribe is growing as we experience a rise in life expectancy and breakdown of marriages. Nearly 4 million older people are single-dwellers and 70% of these are women. The challenge is to provide suitable housing options for Onesies which range from individuals who need to downsize as they occupy a home that is too large for their requirements, to people seeking more spacious options than those offered by a one-bedroom flat.
This leads us nicely to discussing a few proposed housing solutions which may offer the village an opportunity to offer diverse housing options to these tribes.
The first solution we suggest is what we refer to as Platinum Places. Rather than being an age-limited community on the edge of town or a remote area, we see Platinum Places as a development open to all age groups that offers access to amenities as well as cultural experiences, including village fairs and farmers’ markets. It may also have facilities such as gyms and swimming pools, which can be specifically tailored to the needs of different members.
The HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Living) House is about creating healthy living space. Over the past thirty years we have seen office environments go from experiencing Sick Building Syndrome to using paints that are produced from low-volatile organic compounds and the use of carefully selected plants helping to clean the air to create healthy work places. The HEAL House incorporates minimising toxins in the air, but also creating stimulating spaces, reducing noise pollution and bringing the benefits of nature into homes through light and green spaces. Finally, it incorporates the desire to interact with the outdoors, not just for fitness but also for nutrition with the ability to grow fruit and vegetables.
Rental accommodation in villages is perhaps something that is not usually thought of as a traditional tenure. However, we have seen an increase in those seeking to live in a village desiring to reside in what is referred to as the Private Rented Sector (PRS). This housing solution is a professionally managed housing option that is likely to be delivered by large-scale investors, such as pension funds and insurance companies. It is proposed that this type of housing would be a high-quality product with strong service levels, similar to what can currently be found in the US rental market.
To read 'Housing Futures - The Village Revival', please click here.
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