Jun 19, 2009, 11:07 GMT
Britain's Prince Charles thinks houses cost too much.
The 60-year-old royal has complained property prices are still too high for many people in the countryside, despite the market slump caused by the global financial crisis.
Speaking at the launch of the latest Affordable Rural Housing Initiative (ARHI) guidelines at Clarence House yesterday (18.06.09), the prince said: "I hope that the issue of rural affordable housing is more generally recognised.
"Just because house prices may have fallen slightly recently does not mean that this problem has gone away. For many people working in the countryside, market rates are out of reach."
The ARHI guidelines argue the time has "never been more critical" for businesses to help create more affordable rural housing.
Charles - who has recently been criticised for opposing a modern house development in London - told an audience from the planning and housing worlds there are still too few housing schemes.
He also stressed the importance of producing good quality, well-designed housing and not homes that look cheap and "not only do nothing for the aesthetics but shout out to all and sundry that they are affordable".
The ARHI guide is the fifth in a series that explains how the private sector can help schemes by providing land, finance and expertise.
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