Defining
rural
England
2
Defining rural England
Since July 2004 an official definition
of rural areas has been in place for
England and Wales. This definition,
which is based on population
density, was developed to provide
a framework for statistical analysis
and reporting. It has been used
across Government (and beyond)
to assess the condition of, and
monitor changes in, rural England,
and, to generate evidence to inform
the development of
policies, to meet the needs of
rural communities.
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Defining rural England
Rural and urban definition, 20041
At its most detailed level, the definition identifies each
Output Area (OA)2 in England and Wales as one of the
8 different area types, as shown below:
Settlement type
Context
Urban>10K
Less sparse
Town and fringe
Less sparse
Village
Less sparse
Hamlet and isolated dwellings
Less sparse
Urban>10K
Sparse
Town and fringe
Sparse
Village
Sparse
Hamlet and isolated dwellings
Sparse
The categories highlighted in green are rural, while
those in grey are urban.
The map opposite shows the spatial distribution of these
area types.
1
The Rural and Urban Definition,
2004 is a National Statistic compiled
in accordance with standards and
procedures set out in the National
Statistics Code of Practice and
Protocols.
2
Output Areas represent a cluster
of adjacent postcodes, and have
an average of 125 households.
For more information visit; www.
statistics.gov.uk/geography/
beginners_guide.asp
4
The core OA definition has also been adapted for larger
geographical units, specifically: Wards; Middle Super
Output Areas; and Lower Super Output Areas. At these
levels, ‘Hamlet and isolated dwellings’ and ‘Village’ are
combined as ‘Village, hamlet and isolated dwellings’.
Defining rural England
Rural and urban definition, 2004
Source: Office for National Statistics, 2004.
Rural and Urban Definitions.
Hamlet and isolated dwellings - Less sparse
Hamlet and isolated dwellings - Sparse
Village - Less sparse
Village - Sparse
Town and fringe - Less sparse
Town and fringe - Sparse
Urban >10K - Less sparse
Urban >10K - Sparse
Boundaries
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Defining rural England
© Crown Copyright. All rights reserved.
Commission for Rural Communities.
Licence No. 100046389. 2007.
Development of the definition
In creating the definition, the land area of England and
Wales was divided into a grid of hectare squares. The
household density was calculated for each square using
the Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File. This was used
to assign each square a settlement type and context.
Settlement type
Squares within urban areas3 with a resident population
of more than 10,000 people (at the time of the 2001
Census), were classed as urban.
The remaining squares were categorised as follows,
according to the household density of a small area
surrounding the square (at intervals up to 1,600m):
• Town and fringe;
• Village; or
• Hamlets and isolated dwellings.
Context
Each square was then categorised as:
• Less sparse; or
• Sparse,
based on the household density of a larger area
surrounding the square (at intervals up to 30,000m).
It should be noted that the context does not describe
the structure of a settlement type. For example, an area
defined as ‘Village – Sparse’ is not a village spread
over a large area, rather it is a village surrounded by
sparsely populated areas.
3
The resulting grid definition was applied to OA
boundaries, with each OA assigned to one of the 8
categories based (on the majority value of the squares
within the boundary).
as defined by Communities and
Local Government/Ordnance
Survey
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Defining rural England
Governance of the definition
This definition was created by a cross-Governmental
partnership, which included:
• Office for National Statistics (ONS);
• Commission for Rural Communities (then The Countryside Agency);
• Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra);
• Communities and Local Government (then the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister); and
• National Assembly of Wales.
Ownership of the definition has now passed to the ONS,
who have significantly increased the number of datasets
that can be queried using these definitions. Many of
these are shared via the Neighbourhood Statistics
website:
www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk
Further information on the definition (including a
detailed methodology) can be found at:
www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/nrudp.asp
7
Defining rural England
The value of the definition
Why is the definition useful and relevant?
The definition can be used to:
• describe the characteristics of rural England;
• ensure that organisations working for, or speaking
on behalf of rural residents accurately represent
their views;
• monitor change (both positive and negative) occurring in rural communities; and
• expand the rural evidence base to inform policy
development and influence key decisions.
Applying the definition: a practical example
Prior to a our conference on the progress made
towards the recommendations set out in May 2006 by
the Affordable Rural Housing Commission, we were
asked how expensive houses in rural areas are.
The table opposite shows Land Registry house price
data and CACI Ltd Paycheck income data, analysed
using the definition.
The table shows that in the most rural areas of England
(Hamlets and isolated dwellings) the average house
price is nearly £330,000, or 10 times median household
incomes. This is in contrast to more urban areas,
where, on average, houses cost almost 7 times median
household incomes.
This analysis describes the situation in rural England
and demonstrates where local residents are most
likely to find it difficult to purchase housing on the
open market, with implications for affordable housing
demand and provision.
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Defining rural England
Ratio of average house prices against median household incomes, 2006
House price
(a)
Median
income
(b)
Ratio
(a/b)1
Hamlet and isolated
dwellings
£329,320
£32,923
10.0
Village
£275,258
£31,322
8.8
Town and fringe
£200,912
£28,904
7.0
Urban >10K
£196,806
£28,448
6.9
Hamlet and isolated
dwellings
£277,886
£26,438
10.5
Village
£236,330
£25,444
9.3
Town and fringe
£192,985
£23,420
8.2
Urban >10K
£159,058
£23,138
6.9
Rural2
£240,222
£30,087
8.0
Urban>10K
£196,700
£28,433
6.9
England
£204,537
£28,762
7.1
Area definition
Less sparse
Sparse
Source: Land Registry, 2006. Price Paid Dataset. and CACI Ltd, 2007. Paycheck.
Notes:
1
2
As numbers increase, houses
become less affordable
Rural includes ‘Hamlet and isolated
dwellings’, ‘Village’ and ‘Town and
fringe’.
You can find further examples of the application and
use of the definition in our State of the Countryside
report:
www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk
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Defining rural England
Classification of Local Authority
District and Unitary Authorities, 20054
The Rural and Urban Area Definition cannot be
applied to data at Local Authority District and Unitary
Authority (LAD/UA) level.
In 2005 Defra identified that, despite marked
improvements in the availability of data at levels at
which the definition can be applied, where sub­
district data was unavailable, there was a continued
demand to be able to undertake analysis at the
LAD/UA level.
As a result, Defra produced a classification for these
administrative areas, further information about which
can be found at:
www.defra.gov.uk/rural/ruralstats/rural-definition.htm
Wherever possible, data should be analysed using
the official definition of rural at the sub-district level.
The LAD/UA classification should only be used
where this is not possible.
4
The Classification of Local Authority
District and Unitary Authorities,
2005 is not currently a National
Statistic, although this will be
reviewed over the next 12 months.
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Defining rural England
Head Office
John Dower House Crescent Place
Cheltenham Glos. GL50 3RA
Telephone 01242 521381
Facsimile 01242 584270
Email [email protected]
www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk
CRC 49 / July 2007
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Commission for
Rural Communities