WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 1 Topic 2
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Hodder Education Revision Lessons
Inequalities in housing in
rural England
WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 1 Topic 2
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Exam tip: Do not try to describe all the information in the table. Choose two groups where there is a significant difference. Use words like ‘higher than’ or ‘lower than’ when comparing figures, or use ‘whereas’ to compare.
Proportion of population by age group, 2001
Age group (years) Peak District (%) England (%)
0–4 4.7 6.0
5–15 13.2 14.2
16–24 7.5 10.9
25–44 24.1 29.3
45–64 31.2 23.8
65+ 19.4 15.9
Inequalities in housing in rural England
Use the table to describe two ways in which the population in the Peak District differs from England as a whole.
WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
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Answer
The Peak District only has 4.7% of the population aged 0–4, which is a lower figure than for England which is 6%. 19.4% of the population in the Peak District is aged 65+, which is higher than the England figure of 15.9%.
Inequalities in housing in rural England
Proportion of population by age group, 2001
Age group (years) Peak District (%) England (%)
0–4 4.7 6.0
5–15 13.2 14.2
16–24 7.5 10.9
25–44 24.1 29.3
45–64 31.2 23.8
65+ 19.4 15.9
WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 1 Topic 2
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As you can see from the previous slide, rural areas like the Peak District often have a high proportion of elderly people and a low proportion of young people.
In 2008, 9.8 million people lived in rural England and this number is growing because of the pull factors of the countryside. What do you think are the pull factors of rural areas in the UK?
Access to homes in rural areas
WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
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Clean air
Good community spirit
Less trafficGreen space to walk and play
Beautiful scenery
Low density housing
Peace and quiet
Rural pull factors
Rural pull factors
WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 1 Topic 2
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There is a shortage of affordable housing in rural England.
The average cost of a home in rural England is £223,000, which is 11
times the average rural wage.
Local residents would need an income of £55,000 to get a mortgage.
In contrast to this, the average salary in the countryside is around
£20,000 a year and more than 750,000 people are on affordable
housing waiting lists in rural areas of England.
Source: National Housing Federation, October 2010
Homes in rural areas
Question: Explain why the cost of a home in rural England is so much higher than the average rural resident can afford.
Tip: Think about who is buying the houses.
WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 1 Topic 2
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AnswerThe cost of rural housing has been forced up because wealthier, older people from urban areas are buying the houses in rural areas for retirement, second homes and holiday homes.It is also difficult to get planning permission to build in rural areas so there is a higher demand for housing than can be supplied. There is a high proportion of elderly people living in rural areas of the UK and as life expectancy increases, fewer homes are freed up for sale.
Homes in rural areas
WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
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There is a shortage of affordable housing in rural England.
Some 11% of homes in rural areas are social housing, compared to 21% of homes in urban areas.Source: Commission for Rural Communities
Question: Explain how rural councils can help to increase the amount of affordable housing.
Homes in rural areas
WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
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Increase tax on second and holiday
homes to discourage people from buying them
or use the money to build new housing
Encourage development on any
brownfield sites, including former agricultural land
Limit opportunities for second or
holiday homes — don’t approve
planning
Affordable rural housing
Encourage housing association and
shared ownership properties to be
built
Work with a group of local residents when approving
planning applications
Homes in rural areas
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