The site could have been sold for private housing, but instead Jo chose to work with Broadacres to create 15 affordable homes for local people – ensuring the land continues to benefit the community her family has been part of for generations.
As we mark Rural Housing Week, Jo’s story highlights the important role affordable housing plays in helping rural communities thrive.
The land had been in Jo’s family since 1941, when it formed part of a smallholding owned by her uncle, David Thompson.
Although David had hoped the land would one day become a doctors’ surgery, those plans never came to fruition. When the site returned to the family, Jo wanted to honour both her uncle’s wishes and the needs of the village.
“I was always adamant that it should be 100% affordable housing,” said Jo.
“Because of my work as a Rural Affordable Housing Consultant, it’s something I really wanted to do, but I knew my uncle would have wanted that too.”
Rather than selling the land for open market housing, Jo chose Broadacres because of the Association’s experience delivering affordable homes in rural communities.
Having worked alongside the organisations involved in rural housing throughout her career, she knew the importance of creating homes that are well designed, well managed and built to meet local need.
“I knew Broadacres would do a good job,” she said. “They take care to develop their homes well and to look after their residents once they’re living there.”
Like many rural and coastal communities, Hunmanby faces increasing pressure from rising house prices, second home ownership and limited housing opportunities for local people.
A local housing needs survey identified demand for affordable homes for people with a connection to the village who were unable to buy on the open market.
Broadacres will shortly begin work on 15 affordable homes on land south of Sands Lane. The development is the first affordable housing scheme to receive funding from North Yorkshire Council’s council tax premium on second homes, with £435,000 helping bring the project forward.
Across North Yorkshire, more than 9,000 households are on housing waiting lists, while the county has more than 8,200 second homes. Funding generated through the second homes council tax premium is helping create more affordable housing in communities where local people can struggle to access the housing market.
For Jo, the development is about much more than new homes.
“The dream is that the homes will be for people who are from Hunmanby, or who work in Hunmanby or nearby,” she said. “That would be exactly what I, and my family, would want for the land. I’m looking forward to seeing Broadacres deliver this.”
Rural Housing Week is a chance to celebrate the role affordable housing plays in sustaining villages and rural communities. Developments like Hunmanby help local people stay close to their families, workplaces and support networks while ensuring rural communities remain vibrant places to live for generations to come.
Broadacres welcomed National Housing Federation (NHF) Chair Maggie Galliers to North Yorkshire ahead of Rural Housing Week to showcase the work we're doing to deliver affordable homes, improve energy efficiency and support thriving rural communities.
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