Every one of us needs somewhere to feel safe – a place where we can rest, recharge, and feel that we belong. Without that sense of security, it’s hard to think about anything else – hard to plan, to hope, or to dream. A stable home isn’t a luxury, it’s the foundation on which everything else in life depends.
Across the South Cotswolds, from Biddestone to Barnsley and Hullavington to Hillesley, I hear the same stories. Families waiting years for a home they can afford. Young people forced to move away from the places they grew up. Older residents longing to downsize yet unable to find a smaller, local home that fits their needs. Teachers, nurses, and carers – the people who hold our communities together – priced out of the very villages they serve.
This isn’t just about statistics or targets; it’s about people’s lives and the wellbeing of our communities. When people can’t afford to live near where they work or where their families are rooted, the fabric of community frays. When second homes and Airbnbs crowd out locals, community shops, pubs, and primary schools fade and close, taking community connection with them.
That’s why I’ve been clear in Parliament: we need the right homes, in the right places, owned by the right people. Top-down national targets miss the nuance of local needs. For example, around 80 per cent of the Cotswold district lies within a designated National Landscape. Half of the remaining 20 per cent is flood plain. Development must respect these realities.
We all know the pressures our rural towns and villages face – GP surgeries at capacity, bus routes cut back, ageing drainage systems, patchy broadband. Before we add hundreds of new homes, we must ensure the infrastructure can cope. Investment in roads, healthcare, public transport, and broadband should come first, not as an afterthought.
But I also want to speak about something even more important: the relationship between housing and nature. The Government’s new Planning and Infrastructure Bill risks turning this delicate balance into a zero-sum game. It doesn’t have to be that way. We can, and must, build the homes people need while protecting the ecosystems and biodiversity without which not just nature, but also our food production capacity and resilience to flood and drought will suffer. Our resilience will be compromised – probably disastrously.
Nature is not an optional extra; it is the foundation of our wellbeing and survival. When we pave over green fields and tear up hedgerows, we don’t just lose scenery – we lose habitats, flood defences, pollinators, and the peace and beauty that give us a sense of health and wellbeing. Development that works with nature – preserving existing trees, enhancing wildlife corridors, incorporating renewable energy and sustainable design – can enrich communities rather than diminish them.
Yes, that may mean a little less profit for large developers. But surely that’s a price worth paying for a sustainable, liveable future.
There are models that show the way forward: rural exception sites, community-led housing, and developments built on land held in trust for local people. Almshouses – one of our oldest forms of social housing – have for centuries provided dignified, affordable homes rooted in social cohesion and care. Modern versions of this tradition could once again give residents security and connection within the communities they helped to build.
When housing is done well, it earns community support rather than resistance. Developments that harmonise with the existing character of our villages and towns can strengthen, rather than strain, the social and environmental fabric.
Ultimately, housing policy should be about more than numbers – it should be about people, place, and purpose. It should be about keeping our communities together, giving every person a secure home, and protecting the natural world that sustains us all.
Now is the moment for Government to rethink what good housing means. We have to raise our sights beyond crude targets and planning quotas. Let’s create homes that people can truly live in – not just exist in – homes that belong within their surroundings and nurture both people and planet. Because when we construct with care and conscience, we don’t just build houses – we build hope for better ways of living and being.
True progress means giving every person a secure home while protecting the nature and character that make our communities thrive
