Put all the dwellings in cities, where they are needed; or, at the very least, within walking distance of a train station or an area served by a regular (i.e. every 30 minutes) bus service running throughout the day.

This would permit people to use public transport to commute, shop reach services such as schools, doctors, hospitals etc.

I object strongly to this approach of randomly distributing houses to villages. If we truly are to adopt a low-carbon lifestyle, dwellings need to be built near employment and public transport. Villages have neither.