The Housing (Right to Buy) (Designated Rural Areas and Designated Regions) (England) Order 2025

Made: 9th July 2025

Laid before Parliament: 11th July 2025

Coming into force: 2nd August 2025

The Secretary of State makes this Order in exercise of the powers conferred by section 157(1)(c) and (3)(a) of the Housing Act 1985[^f00001].

Citation, commencement, extent and interpretation

1

• (1) This Order may be cited as the Housing (Right to Buy) (Designated Rural Areas and Designated Regions) (England) Order 2025 and comes into force on 2nd August 2025.

• (2) This Order extends to England and Wales.

• (3) In this Order—

• “the Act” means the Housing Act 1985;

• “designated rural area” means a rural area designated by article 2.

Designated rural areas

2

The areas specified in the Schedule are designated as rural areas for the purposes of section 157(1) of the Act.

Designated regions

3

• (1) In relation to a dwelling-house which is situated in a designated rural area specified in paragraph 1 of the Schedule, the region designated for the purposes of section 157(3) of the Act is the City of Colchester.

• (2) In relation to a dwelling-house which is situated in a designated rural area specified in paragraph 2 of the Schedule, the region designated for the purposes of section 157(3) of the Act is the district of East Hampshire.

SCHEDULE — Designation of rural areas

1

In the City of Colchester, the parishes of Abberton, Aldham, Birch, Boxted, Chappel, Copford with Easthorpe, Dedham, East Mersea, Fingringhoe, Fordham, Great and Little Wigborough, Great Tey, Langenhoe, Langham, Layer Breton, Layer-de-la-Haye, Layer Marney, Little Horkesley, Messing-cum-Inworth, Mount Bures, Peldon, Salcott, Virley, Wakes Colne and Wormingford.

2

In the district of East Hampshire, the parishes of Beech, Bentley, Bentworth, Binsted, Chawton, East Tisted, Farringdon, Froyle, Kingsley, Lasham, Medstead, Newton Valence, Ropley, Selborne, Shalden, Wield and Worldham.

Signed

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government

Matthew Pennycook — Minister of State — Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government — 9th July 2025

Explanatory note

(This is not part of the Order)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Order designates the parishes listed in the Schedule as rural areas for the purposes of section 157(1) of the Housing Act 1985 (c. 68) (“the Act”). It also provides for the City of Colchester and the district of East Hampshire to be designated regions for the purposes of section 157(3) of the Act in relation to dwelling-houses situated in the designated rural areas falling within the City of Colchester and the district of East Hampshire, respectively.

The purpose of designating a rural area relates to the sale of dwelling-houses within the area under the right to buy, and that the vendor may impose certain covenants or reserve a right of first refusal in specified circumstances.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1985 c. 68; section 157(1) was amended by Part 4 of Schedule 18 to the Government of Wales Act 1998 (c. 38), paragraph 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 15 to the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (c. 37) and section 188(2)(a) of the Housing Act 2004 (c. 34). Section 157(3) was amended by section 126(3) of the Housing Act 1988 (c. 50).