Luxton praised the £2.8 million development from White Horse Housing Association and Seend Community Land Trust and how important community-led housing initiatives are amid a shortage of affordable homes, both locally and nationally.
Staff and contractors from White Horse Housing Association and members of Seend Community Land Trust joined residents and villagers to celebrate the opening of the new energy efficient, affordable homes in Seend Cleeve.
Charlie Luxton said:
“What has been achieved here is really important because there is a crisis within housing, certainly in rural communities. We have an issue with affordability in rural housing and that is leading to a reduction in the socio-economic diversity in rural communities. They are becoming the realm of the wealthy and that is problematic on many levels.”
Between 2019-2022, just 7% of affordable housing was built in rural communities.
Luxton, who is involved in Hook Norton Community Land Trust in Oxfordshire, thanked Seend Community Land Trust for consulting and engaging with the local community in Seend as part of the development of the new community-led homes. He said:
“I think what has been achieved is extraordinary, congratulations to everybody involved.”
The development in Seend Cleve comprises four two-bedroom, one three-bedroom and two one-bedroom homes for rent, as well as two three-bed and one two-bed for shared ownership sale.
The development was built on former farmland development in partnership with Seend Community Land and Asset Trust, Seend Parish Council and Wiltshire Council.
The homes are available to people with a local connection to the Seend area only.
Construction on the new homes began in late summer 2022. The homes arrived on site in ‘kit form’, comprising pre-cut timber frames which were then assembled, insulated with sustainable wool and sealed with airtight wind and waterproof tape before the exterior was cladded.
White Horse Housing Association chief executive Steve Warran said:
“It has been a long road but I am very proud that we have delivered the passive homes the community land trust wanted.”
For more information, please visit: Seend Community-Led Housing Development.