Unlocking opportunities - how small garage site building can boost rural affordable homes supply
Sarah Weaver is a Regeneration Manager in Connexus’ Development Team, leading projects that bring forward modern, energy-efficient and accessible affordable homes. She works across the full development process, from land acquisition and planning through to construction and completion, helping deliver much-needed homes for rural communities.
Across our operating area, we face the same challenge seen in many rural and market town communities - demand for affordable housing continues to grow, while suitable development land is difficult to find and expensive to buy.
That's why we're taking another look at some of the land we already own.
Over the past year, we've been reviewing a number of garage sites across Herefordshire and Shropshire to understand whether they could play a role in helping us meet local housing need. In many cases, these sites are no longer serving the purpose they once did. Many garages are empty, some are in poor condition, often too small for modern vehicle, and demand for them can be limited. At the same time, these small pockets of land are often located within established communities where there is a clear need for more affordable homes.
Rather than seeing these sites as underused assets, we're exploring how they could become opportunities as part of our wider ‘replace in place’ strategy, which is already seeing new housing projects delivered in rural locations like Wem and Diddlebury.
Our approach is focussing on identifying smaller, often overlooked sites that could accommodate modest developments of affordable homes. Individually, each site may only provide space for a handful of properties, but collectively they have the potential to make a meaningful contribution to housing supply across our communities. Recent feasibility work has highlighted nearly 50 different locations across Shropshire and Herefordshire, including those in some of our most rural areas.
Of course, every site is different. Before any proposals move forward, we're carrying out detailed feasibility work, engaging with local planning authorities and consulting with customers, residents and other stakeholders. Issues such as parking, access and the impact on existing garage users will be carefully considered as part of the planning process.
As with many older garage sites, factors such as asbestos, contamination and the condition of existing structures also need to be assessed. While these can present challenges, they are well understood within the development process and can be addressed through appropriate surveys, remediation and site preparation work before construction work gets underway.
There is no single solution to the housing shortage facing rural communities. However, by taking a thoughtful approach to small and underutilised sites, we can unlock opportunities that might otherwise be missed.