7 April 2015
Councils in Lewisham, Taunton Deane and West Somerset are taking steps to enable more people to build their own homes.
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London local authority seeks community collaborator
Lewisham Council is looking for a community-led partner organisation to work with residents who want to build their own homes on the site of a former school in Ladywell (pictured).
Mayor of Lewisham Sir Steve Bullock gave the green light to select a not-for-profit consortium or organisation to deliver community-led self-build or custom build housing on the Church Grove site in Ladywell earlier this month. And the selection process is now underway.
The site could accommodate around 30 new homes, with an emphasis on addressing housing needs and challenges, as well as high sustainability standards.
Council officers have been working with self-build facilitators, Our London, to understand the views of interested residents, understand technical site constraints, and devise a selection process for community-led self-build enablers. The Council is looking for proposals from community-led organisations, which are financially viable and deliverable, and place an emphasis on affordable housing in the long term.
Councillor Damien Egan, Lewisham Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “This is another exciting initiative that shows that there are many ways in which we can creatively address our housing need. People are very motivated by designing and building their own homes. Working together with the support of the Council and a skilled enabling organisation, they can create a sustainable development that will make really good use of a challenging site.”
Lewisham Council has a history of supporting group self-build in the borough, with innovative and internationally recognised projects like the Walters Way development in Honor Oak, that have gone on to be replicated across the country.
West Country councils call for self/custom builders
Meanwhile, Taunton Deane and West Somerset Councils are creating a register of people interested in building their own home.
The local authorities – exclusive of the Right to Build vanguard councils list – hope to understand demand for self build and custom build housing projects and plan land provision accordingly.
Interested people are being invited to take part in a survey to clarify the type of project, its affordability and the timescales. This will help to understand demand and, if required, include policies and guidance for them as well as allocations in the Councils’ planning documents.
Registration forms can be requested in person from Deane House Planning Reception, by emailing talkingtomorrows@tauntondeane.gov.uk, or by calling 01823 356388. Forms will need to be returned by 14 May.
