16 October 2015
Plans to self build a community-led housing development in South London have been given the go-ahead by councillors.
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Lewisham-based Rural Urban Synthesis Society (RUSS) has been selected by Lewisham Borough Council to help deliver the project which will see residents building 33 new high quality, sustainable and environmentally-friendly homes on a former school site off Church Grove, Ladywell.
The development – designed by Architype Architects – will include one-bedroom to four-bedroom homes, available on a range of tenures including social rent, affordable rent, shared equity and shared ownership – including properties aimed specifically at providing training opportunities through the construction of shared flats for young people.
Initial proposals suggest the homes will be constructed to Passivhaus standards with timber frames fabricated on-site. Self builders will have a hand in the construction process and will be able to learn new building skills at the same time. Early indications suggest that rent/shared ownership costs would be discounted through sweat equity as the self builders take on their share of the construction work.
The project aims to create a mixed community made up of people from diverse social and economic backgrounds by creating a mixture of homes for younger and older people as well as families, couples and single people. Residents for the social rented housing will be drawn from the local authority housing list while other homes will be advertised to all, including households who have already expressed their interest. And a Community Land Trust will manage the land and properties.
A consultation event wase held last Autumn to gauge the needs and desires of self builders and to allow them to explore the plans and how they can get involved.
RUSS founder, Kareem Dayes, who grew up in Lewisham’s early self build housing scheme in Walter’s Way in Honor Oak, said: “After five years of planning and negotiating we are now able to begin the real work of building a truly affordable and sustainable community. We can now move a step closer to empowering local people to create an alternative to private ownership and private rented housing.
“We aim to establish a new precedent, a replicable model in community-led housing that will benefit people currently unable to access housing on the open market. As a Community Land Trust we invite all local people to get involved, become a member of RUSS and participate in the realisation of this project.”
RUSS is encouraging people to attend its public meetings and make contact via its website – and will be asking for official expressions of interest soon. Lewisham Borough Council officers are now working to finalise the development agreement and lease by January 2016. Work is planned to start on site in spring 2017 with a view to completing by 2020.
