Dr Wil Gibson of Community Action Suffolk is calling on Planning Authorities to undertake community based housing needs surveys to identify endogenous needs and for them to use a system of land auctions.
He said the biggest challenge facing rural communities was to look after their own growing populations by providing more affordable housing and that second home-owners could bring great benefits to towns and villages in the countryside.
He said: “What we have found is that those people who make a conscious effort to come to a village actually get very involved in the community. They have made a positive commitment and even those down for part of the year get involved and many make that transition to reside in Suffolk permanently”.
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