The ODPM has refused to allow rural landowners to cross-subsidise affordable housing on rural exception sites by building private homes for sale on the same land. The Country Land &amp;&amp; Business Association (CLA) had been lobbying for permission to use the cross subsidy proposal to fund rural affordable homes, and is disappointed that the desired amendment was not included in the new draft PPG3. <p></p><p>“This is a backward move by government when it is calling for the industry to provide innovative solutions and when public funding levels are limited,” said CLA president Mark Hudson. “Concerns about affordable housing being sold on at a high profit are completely unfounded as such housing is designated as affordable housing in perpetuity.” </p><p>The criticism comes as the Prince of Wales has launched his own campaign for affordable rural housing, publishing two guides, Developing new affordable rural housing and Making use of empty space for affordable rural housing. </p><p>The Prince said: “If just half of the 20,000 rural settlements in England and Wales had one new affordable housing development of five or six homes, and if just one business in each market town were to convert empty space, we would have made real progress in …