Mayor Damien Egan signs lease on site for Londons largest, self-build, affordable housing project

The signing took place at the recently-completed Community Hub building. This was constructed by more than 90 RUSS volunteers over the last six months, and forms the first phase of the project.

The Church Grove development will deliver 33 high-quality homes onto a site which was formerly home to a derelict school and industrial park. The homes will be delivered by RUSS (the Rural Urban Synthesis Society), a locally-based Community Land Trust that now has almost 1,000 members.

With construction due to begin this spring, the scheme will cost £8.6m and will include a range of high-quality homes, from one to four-bedroom properties. Fourteen of the properties will be available on a shared equity basis; 12 homes will be shared ownership; six rooms across two shared homes will be for affordable rent, and five of the homes will be for social rent (with the occupiers nominated by Lewisham Council).

Residents have led the design of the new homes so that they will be simple and cost-effective to build. It is also proposed that residents will be involved in the construction work, bringing the costs down further.

The low property costs have been further facilitated by the provision of a site on a 250-year lease. As this land will be held in a Community Land Trust, the homes will be valued according to the value of the building; not the building and the land.

To commemorate the deal, a time capsule was buried on the site by the Mayor and Cllr. Paul Bell, Cabinet Member for Housing. The capsule contains a dozen items that represent Lewisham in 2020. These include: an album of photographs that show the volunteers that have built the new Community Hub, a copy of the Lewisham Ledger magazine, a list of household items from 2020 (with their current costs), a book about Lewisham’s self-build history, and a copy of the lease. Several other items are likely to be added as a local school is asking children for their own suggestions. The capsule will have a plaque inserted above it stating that it will not to be re-opened until 2120.

Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham, said: “We are delighted that this project is getting underway, it’s the biggest of its kind in London and showcases an innovative approach to tackling the housing crisis.”

Anurag Verma, Chair of RUSS, said: “It’s been a long haul getting our project to this stage, where construction work is almost ready to start, and Lewisham Council has supported us on many occasions along the journey. The site we now have at the end of Church Grove is one of the main things they’ve assisted us with, so the signing of the lease on the land is one of the last main hurdles for us to clear.”