Lewisham Residents Build Their Own Homes to Beat Housing Crisis

A group of south east Londoners is to be given a plot of land to build dream homes upon, in a radical scheme to help tackle the capital's housing crisis.

The ambitious project will turn the site of a disused primary school into a self-built, sustainable community in Ladywell, Lewisham.

Lewisham council has signed a deal with the Rural Urban Synthesis Society (RUSS), a community land trust which will take on the Church Grove site, providing 33 affordable homes for people who have joined the organisation.

Each home will be designed and built by its future residents, who were picked at random from the 150 members who wanted to get involved.

If approved, work could start in 2017, with the homes ready within two years. Kareem Dayes from RUSS, said:

"The community land trust model is taking off at the moment. There's definitely a political appetite to deliver these schemes."

Councillor Damien Egan, Lewisham's cabinet member for housing, added:

"We are absolutely thrilled we've taken this next significant step towards creating a great new genuinely affordable housing development in Lewisham.

"The self-build community land trust is the first of its kind in London and builds on Lewisham's radical housing tradition. Cooperative housing provides affordable homes, forever, and we're looking at how we can build more."

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Property Solicitors