News

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal officially opens our affordable rural housing project Carpenters Yard

We were delighted to attend a special event this week at our newly completed development in Shepherdswell. Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Patron of the English Rural Housing Association, officially opened Carpenter’s Yard, an innovative affordable rural housing project.

This development, Kent’s first Community Land Trust (CLT) initiative, represents a key step toward addressing the county's rural housing challenges, where average house prices are now 10 times the average income. Carpenter’s Yard includes 13 new homes—10 affordable properties managed by English Rural and 3 private homes managed by WW Martin.

The homes range from one and two-bedroom apartments to two and three-bedroom houses, all designed to meet the needs of the local community.

Maria, a resident of Carpenter’s Yard, reflected on the new development:

“After years of struggling with rising private rents, this home has given us security and peace of mind. The financial stability from our long-term tenancy agreement is an enormous relief. It’s not just about having a roof over our heads; it’s about being able to stay in the community we love and contribute to village life.”

Martin Collett, Chief Executive of English Rural, said:

“We are delighted with the new homes in Shepherdswell and proud that our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal will officially open them. This innovative scheme demonstrates the power community action can have in securing homes that provide local people with somewhere warm, safe and affordable to live."