4 July 2012
Prospective self builders have joined forces in East London to realise their dream of creating one of the city’s first ever community self build projects, on the Olympics site.
The initiative would comprise of up to 30 homes, with a mixture of self-contained living spaces and communal areas, together with a shop and communal garden. The project could offer the opportunity of affordable housing for households with modest incomes, in an area where rising rents and property prices are an issue for many young professionals.
{TEASER}
A core group of ten households has already expressed firm interest in the plans, with a further 20 willing to participate. The group behind the idea, still in its early stages, SLICE London (Sustainable Living in Community, East London) has already gathered support in principle from the self build sector and has now asked Housing Minister, Grant Shapps to investigate if land could potentially be available at the Olympics Park.
SLICE Spokesperson, Jo Kernon, said: “Inspired by similar projects at Almere in The Netherlands and Ashley Vale in Bristol, we see it as a wonderful opportunity to create a beautifully-designed hub for one of the first ever community self build sites in London.
“It has the potential to be an example of good practice defined by affordable housing, a model of sustainable design and fantastic long-lasting legacy for the Olympics”.
