ASSIGNMENT

Assignment

Assignment

Question 1a

Upstart received grant funding of £2000 in September 2004 from Premier League Housing Group Cooperative Community Grant fund to deliver research into the possibilities for co-operative housing in the area. Our methodology included desk research, discussions with social lenders, consultations in the Radical Routes network, and a two day training course entitled 'How to set up a Housing Co-op'.

General research has been undertaken into existing and potential housing co-operatives in the South West. The last phase of research was in-depth feasibility studies on 5 potential sites within a 5 mile radius of Upstart's offices near South Petherton, in South Somerset. This area is rural, with a network of market towns forming a triangle, these being Ilminster, Crewkerne and Chard, encompassing many villages and hamlets. These in turn support and serve the larger urban towns of Yeovil and Taunton which host several major employers and have between them several large trading estates providing employment and services, and many housing estates each with an element of social housing. The largest social housing provider in the area is South Somerset Homes, although a network of other smaller social providers is managed by South Somerset District Council. Away from Yeovil and Taunton, the smaller market towns forming the triangle have all been eligible for application to the Market and Coastal Towns Initiative (MCTI) in an attempt to develop the regeneration process, creating jobs and housing locally to prevent a drift towards the larger urban areas.

All three towns have made successful bids and are either in the process of receiving funding or are awaiting it. Small rural businesses can experience difficulty in recruiting staff due to the relatively low salaries available against the high cost of living in the area. The ratio of average house prices to average earnings is presently around eight to one - among the highest in the country.

Some possible solutions

Housing within a 5 mile radius comprises a mix of “highly desirable” residences (converted farms, picturesque cottages), modern private housing selling at well above the national average, a small quantity of private lets of varying quality and value-for-money, and the social housing sector, which, due to the length of waiting lists, is in practice only available to families in urgent housing need. Recognising the difficulty of accessing decent affordable housing, Upstart was keen to look at potential solutions. Co-operative housing initiatives may provide the missing link between the high-cost private housing and the difficult-to-obtain social housing. There is a strong network of individuals and families interested in low impact, self-build housing. One such local community, Tinkers Bubble, has been successful in demonstrating the potential for such developments. Privately funded, the group bought land and self-built a mix of individual houses and community buildings whilst developing a land-based agricultural project which fed into the local community. Proving its ability to be self-sustaining and viable environmentally, socially and financially, the project has successfully applied for a series of extensions to its planning permissions and has now been in existence for approximately 10 ...