At the same time, the proposed withdrawal of the exception site policy, which allows affordable housing to be built on sites that would not normally be granted planning permission, will restrict appropriate, small scale housing schemes.

The report also challenges the current stranglehold on the use of redundant farm buildings for housing another example of where Government policy fails to make use of existing resources to meet housing demand.

The report makes 17 recommendations to boost rural housing in England and Wales, including:

> A requirement for planning authorities to meet local housing need close to its origin through the organic growth of villages, with more allowance for housing to be built on the edge of existing villages

> More weight given to the use of redundant farm buildings for housing, along with a change in the definition of ‘brownfield sites’ to include land previously used for agriculture, which would free up more land for housing

> The retention of the exception site policy, with the further possibility of developers being allowed to ‘cross-subsidise’ affordable housing schemes through the construction and sale of open-market houses

> Guidelines on housing provision in settlements of fewer than 3,000 people in greenbelts, national parks and areas of outstanding beauty to mirror the rest of the countryside.

> The revenue raised from additional council tax on second homes to be used by local authorities to support affordable housing in rural areas.