Priced-out locals build their own affordable homes

Tom Low said many Eastington families had been priced out of the village over the years

Priced-out residents have helped bring more affordable housing to a village and are working with another housing association to create more.

Villagers moved into 23 homes in Fullers Close, Eastington in 2020, after Eastington Community Land Trust (ECLT) volunteers fought off five attempts by developers to build there.

Sally Antell, who grew up in Eastington but was once priced out of living there, moved into one of the rent homes five years ago, and said it had been "very important" for her to move back.

ECLT is now working on its second project, Homeground, comprising a mix of 31 shared ownership and rented homes, and the first phase is expected to be completed in January.

In Eastington, the amount of affordable housing has fallen over the years, with many people leaving as a result, Tom Low, ECLT's secretary, told BBC Panorama.

"If you think about extended families, we've got people who are 80 years old and went to the local school," he said.

"Their children were born here and went to the local school. Now, their grandchildren have difficulty living here."

In the Stroud District, where the average house price is ten times the average wage, residents formed the ECLT to build homes for people linked to the village.

Ms Antel was priced out of the village she grew up in, but was able to move back thanks to the work of the ECLT

Instead of trying to block property developers, ECLT members raised money and applied for grants to buy a plot of land on the edge of the village to provide the initial 23 homes.

Ms Antell, who grew up in Eastington, said: "It makes going to work easier... just five minutes down the road, I can even walk to my mum's house to drop my son and my dog off before work," she said.

"Just to have a decent garden and somewhere to play out the front and not have to worry that someone might sell the house and have to find somewhere else.

"This is our forever home, really."

Work is under way at the Homeground site, the second project by ECLT

The properties are a mixture of social rents, which is set at 70% of the rate of the private rental market in the area, and shared ownership, where residents buy a portion of the property and pay rent to the ECLT on the remainder.

Priority for ECLT homes is given to people originally from Eastington, those who work there or people with family in the area, Mr Low said.

Older people looking to downsize from larger homes will be considered first for the bungalows and smaller dwellings in order to free up space elsewhere in the community.

As of the time of writing, 27 of the 31 timber frames at Homeground have been erected, Mr Low said.

A public drop-in will be held by the ECLT on 6 November to explain the process to prospective tenants and Beyond Homeground, Eastington Parish Council's periodic housing needs survey, is underway.

Land adjacent to Homeground, purchased with grants from Stroud District Council and the parish council, may be used for project three, Mr Low added.

The government has set itself a target of build 1.5 million homes over the next Parliament, which is due to run until 2029.

Housing secretary Steve Reed has said his job "should be on the line" if he fails to meet it.