Helping sustain village life in Diddlebury
Amanda Knowles is Head of Development at Connexus, leading the team responsible for delivering new affordable homes across Shropshire and Herefordshire. She oversees the acquisition and development of homes for rent, Shared Ownership and Rent to Buy, working with development partners and local contractors to ensure high-quality homes are delivered for local communities.
In rural communities, even a small number of affordable homes can make a significant difference. This is certainly the case in Diddlebury, a village in the Corvedale area of Shropshire. With a small population and a close-knit community, the village relies on local people and families remaining in the area to help sustain local services and community life.
Connexus has secured planning permission to redevelop two ageing semi-detached properties on Mill Lane, replacing them with four modern, energy-efficient affordable homes. The development will provide three homes for social rent and one for shared ownership, helping local people access different affordable housing options within the community they already call home.
What makes the scheme particularly important is the collaborative approach taken from the beginning. Connexus worked closely with Diddlebury Parish Council to understand local housing need and agree the right mix of homes for the village. By working so closely in partnership like this, I’m delighted that we were able to secure the council's full support.
In a village the size of Diddlebury, retaining and attracting younger households is crucial. Affordable homes do more than provide somewhere to live, they help keep rural communities functioning. For example, the new families even a small number of new homes provide will help sustain pupil numbers at the local primary school, as well as support local shops and businesses. By creating genuinely affordable opportunities for people to remain in or move into the area, developments like this can play an important role in protecting the services and community life that make rural places special.
The scheme also demonstrates the value of Connexus' "replace in place" approach derived from our new Corporate Plan. The existing homes, built in 1948, have reached the point where significant investment would have been needed to bring them up to modern standards. Rather than continuing to invest in properties that were no longer fit for purpose, we are using the site to provide more homes of a higher quality, while also maintaining the character of the surrounding area.
Across Shropshire and Herefordshire, access to affordable homes remains one of the biggest challenges facing villages, affecting their ability to retain families and younger people, support local services and sustain thriving communities. Diddlebury demonstrates how locally supported affordable housing, even at a small scale, can help address those challenges in a way that responds directly to community need.