Liveable neighbourhoods
a different Oxfordshire is possible
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OCLT wants to create more liveable neighbourhoods for the people of Oxfordshire.
This means:
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​​Roads that are less clogged: cleaner air, faster journeys​​
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Well-maintained buildings & gardens, and pavements kept clear​​
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Stronger social connections & neighbourhood spaces​​
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A healthy local economy with thriving local businesses​​
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Communities that act together to improve their local areas​​
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​​But to achieve this, we need to increase the availability of affordable housing.
When too little affordable housing is available, the places we all live in deteriorate – for all of us.
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Here’s why:
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As rents rise, tenants have to move away from where they work.
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Their commutes get longer, clogging up roads and public transport, using energy, and generating emissions.
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The air we breathe becomes polluted (even electric vehicles generate non-exhaust emissions), our streets become more dangerous, and we – and particularly our children – suffer the consequences.
As landlords raise rents beyond what’s affordable, tenants have to move frequently.
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This makes it more difficult to form lasting friendships – not only for them, but also for those (homeowners or those who have more secure tenure) living near them.
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Even those of us lucky enough to have some housing stability suffer as we frequently have to start again with new neighbours.
When tenants have little security of tenure and/or can’t be sure whether (or by how much) their rents will rise, they have less incentive to treat buildings as long-term homes, and so less incentive to care for and maintain them.
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Building facades are liable to become dilapidated, and problems such as damp – which can affect adjoining buildings – go untreated.
When tenants have little security of tenure and/or can’t be sure whether (or by how much) their rents will rise, they have less incentive to treat private gardens as long-term projects, and so less incentive to care for and maintain them.
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Front gardens are neglected or fill with detritus, and the streetscape deteriorates.
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Back gardens become overgrown and can attract vermin.
When rents rise and people have to move away from an area, it becomes difficult for local businesses to retain staff – especially those on lower salaries.
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This jeopardises local businesses’ viability.
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And when people’s income is being consumed largely by housing costs, they have less disposable income to spend in the neighbourhood, dampening the local economy.
When people can’t stay securely in one place over several years, they often don’t have time to form the attachments to the local area that are crucial for the collective action needed to improve places.
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Whether it’s campaigning to make streets safer, to save a local amenity or to protect a park, all of these initiatives require enough people to care deeply about where they live to invest time and energy in making them more liveable.
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To help make your neighbourhood more liveable by supporting, or even leading, local affordable housing projects:
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