Member

Secondly, Clause 7 exempts homes in national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty and designated rural areas from the right to buy. This recognises the particular pressures in rural areas, where land and planning constraints mean that homes are significantly harder to replace once lost from the rental sector. There was clear recognition of these challenges during Second Reading, where noble Lords highlighted the difficulty of replacing rural homes and the importance of protecting stock in these areas. The exemption for rural homes responds directly to those concerns and will help to safeguard much-needed rural social housing. Existing rural designations will continue to have effect under the amended scheme. The covenants attached to homes that have been sold under right to buy in rural areas, which restrict the resale to a local person or a social landlord, will continue to apply.