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Self-build Affordable Housing Seminar - Report, March 2006

A seminar organised by Land for People and Communities First Bro Ddyfi at the Machynlleth Community Centre on the 19th March 2006

Introduction

This document provides a short review of the Self Build seminar held on Sunday 19th March 2006 at the Machynlleth Community Centre. The lack of enough affordable housing in rural areas such as the Dyfi Valley is a prominent issue for many people, highlighted for example by the Bro Dyfi Communities First Partnership, Machynlleth and District Community Forum and in the Powys Community Strategy.

With the continued rise in house prices (Powys is in the unenviable position of being at number six in the top 10 counties which have had the fastest rise in house prices between 1996 and 2006, with a 222% increase in the price of an average house to £172,199), the failure to adequately replace the stock of affordable housing lost through right to buy and the problems associated with second homes, it is important that all options for the delivery of affordable housing are considered.

Communities First Bro Ddyfi commissioned the event, as a consequence of a series of public meetings and housing needs surveys conducted in the Dyfi valley over the previous year, which suggested that there might be significant interest in the prospect of self build groups forming in the Dyfi valley area to get more affordable homes built.

The Seminar

The five speakers who gave presentations on various aspects of self build were on hand over the lunch break and in the afternoon `surgery' slot to answer people's questions and help by giving advice and guidance on specific issues. Display stands and information were also arranged on the stage area for delegates before and after the presentations. 24 delegates from several communities in the Dyfi valley and further afield, along with elected members from Machynlleth Town Council and Powys County Council attended the seminar.

Councillor Gwilym Fychan opened the event and welcomed everybody to Machynlleth. In his introduction he emphasised the need to explore every avenue, and to be innovative, in the drive to provide affordable housing to the benefit of the social and economic life of the area. He hoped that as a result of the day, more discussions would be had and action taken to get more affordable homes for local people actually built, and he wished the seminar every success in its deliberations.

The Presentations

The morning session covered three presentations where the speakers each outlined what their organisation did, and outlined what support they might be able to offer to people and groups wanting to carry out self build projects.

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1. John Gillespie, Southern Development Co-ordinator

The Community Self Build Agency

The work of the Agency and community self-build projects

John outlined the aims of the Agency, which are to create more opportunities for people to acquire the knowledge and skills to build their own homes. It has a particular focus on assisting people who are in housing need, the unemployed, young people, and those on low incomes. Over 90 groups have now finished building their own homes through community self build since 1989 when the Agency was established.

The Agency seeks to:

  • Help those in housing need, who may or may not have building skills, to build homes
  • Create a positive climate for potential self builders to succeed
  • Offer independent advice and information
  • Encourage self help through the pooling of resources
  • Promote projects which can inspire others, operate under appropriate health and safety codes and general good practice
  • Explore funding opportunities to secure the future of community self-build

As yet there is no general funding source available to which community self build projects can apply. In each case, the Agency and the groups it works with, which at present are mainly in London and the South East of England, have to negotiate with the Housing Corporation, the relevant local authorities and housing associations to secure the necessary development grants and Social Housing Grant before any project can commence. (This implies that a similar process with the Welsh Assembly, Powys County Council and the relevant housing association will probably have to be undertaken to properly support and fund any community self build projects here.)

John emphasised experience has shown that the successful community self build schemes are the ones that can demonstrate:

  • An inclusive approach, one that involves the wider community from the start in the preparation and delivery of their plans
  • An ability to develop and sustain an effective local partnership involving public, private and community organisations
  • Commitment and a capacity to maintain the necessary training and team building to keep the self builders motivated and working as a team.    

A 'time-line' for the pre-construction phase of a typical project would be: form a partnership, identify land, bid for capital funding and revenue costs, undertake additional fundraising, recruit self builders, form a stable group, draw up working agreements, commence training. The majority of the projects that the Agency has assisted involve working in close collaboration with a housing association and its contractors. John described the ways in which the self-builders and the professional builders can work alongside and with each other on the sequences of the first, second and third fixes as the construction proceeds.

John said that by following the four C's - commitment, communication, confidence and compromise, the complex process of starting, maintaining and completing a community self- build project can, and has on many occasions, been achieved.  He concluded by saying that the benefits of the community self build approach are much more than just the units of affordable housing that are created. It is about empowerment and confidence building that is imparted to the trainees, along with transfer of employable skills. It is also about building sustainable community, knowing your neighbours and having a strong connection with them.

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2. John Green, Director of Technical Services

Mid Wales Housing (MWHA)

The role of a housing association in a self-build project

  • The Mid Wales Housing Association was formed in 1976
  • A non profit making organisation, run by a voluntary board of management
  • Owns and manages 1,200 properties in Powys and Ceredigion
  • Develops approximately 25 - 30 new properties every year

John described the role and work of the housing association as a provider of social housing and the phases in the development of typical housing development:

  • Inceptionphase, where a site and a need for the housing come together with a idea to get something done
  • Planning and Preparation Phase, which covers seeking professional advice, negotiations  with land owners, seeking statutory approvals and talking to funders
  • Feasibility phase, where quantifying the financial, capital costs, ongoing costs and potential for income generation need to be assessed, along with the non-financial criteria, which include assessing the long term demand for the housing, the sustainability of the project in the long-term, and an assessment of future options for the site
  • Construction phase, covering the management of the project, site management, the supply chain, the various building trades to be involved, and any element of training that might be required.

Housing associations in Wales have been charged by the Assembly to act wherever possible as housing enablers as well as being direct providers of housing themselves. John indicated that his association would be very happy to discuss possible collaboration with any self build projects in the mid Wales area that might come forward.

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3. Jonathan Brown, Director, Land for People

Community Land Trusts (CLTs) and the provision of affordable housing

Jonathan gave an overview about Land for People, Community Land Trusts and the ways in which Land for People can assist local groups. Land for People has received funding from Powys County Council, the Welsh Assembly and the Carnegie UK Trust to deliver three pilot community-led affordable housing projects in mid Wales.

  • Land for People is a not-for-profit company, established in May 2005. It acts as an enabler, working with local people on projects that will regenerate their community in a sustainable way, with an emphasis on affordable homes for local people. Land for People has a strong board of directors, composed of individuals who together have extensive experience and expertise in the fields of business, community development, banking and research.
  • A CLT is a community controlled organisation that owns, develops and manages land and buildings for the benefit of the local community. By separating the value of land from the buildings that stand upon it, the CLT can be used to preserve the value of any public and private investment, as well as planning gain and land appreciation, for long-term community benefit.
  • Land for People is working with the communities of Castle Caereinion, Pantydwr and Ceinws on the pilot affordable housing projects.

Land for People can assist community self build groups by:

  • Giving help and advice
  • Providing a set of rules to set up a local CLT and register it with the Financial Standards Authority
  • Work with the group to carry out and analyse a housing needs survey
  • Put projects in touch with others in Wales
  • Assist with the drawing up of a business plan

Lunch

A variety of home made sandwiches, sausage rolls, pizzas, dips and tea and coffee where provided by Mrs Betty Fleming and her helpers - many thanks to the ladies for their wonderful service.

After lunch there were presentations from speakers from the Centre for Alternative Technology and Powys County Council. They were followed by a `surgery' session where the participants could sit down with the speakers to discuss issues in more detail that would have be possible in plenary. The Surgeries covered planning issues, the role of housing associations, community land trusts, sustainable design and construction and community self build.

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4. David Thomlinson, Affordable housing officer

Powys County Council

Self build affordable housing - the Powys County Council planning context

David indicated that the Powys County Council Unitary Development Plan (or UDP, adopted from the 1st of March 2006), contain many policy statements and references that are supportive of both the self-build approach and to sustainable construction and design. He referred to these in his PowerPoint presentation, a copy of which is appended. His presentation also covered:

  • Room for growth - There is scope for a community self build scheme or schemes in the Dyfi area. The  UDP's projected housing requirement in the Machynlleth area for the years 2001 to 2016 is 121 units, and the council expects 30% to 35% of all housing built to be affordable on sites with five units of housing or more
  • Sustainable design and construction - The council takes a positive attitude towards the utilisation of low-impact materials, energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction and recycling
  • Supplementary planning guidance - This essential reading for any community self-build group defines what is meant by `affordability', the mixture of tenures and sizes of development allowed, design and size of housing, the types of land ownership looked for, and much else besides. 

In conclusion, David said that the planning framework can potentially provide for both community self build, and individual self build affordable housing projects to come forward and get permission. In any event, he recommended that potential projects should always talk to the planners at the earliest stage, as they are there to help.

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5. Trish Andrews, Architect, The Centre for Alternative Technology  

Sustainable design and construction of homes

  • Why Eco-Building? 50% of all energy use, building services, Further 10% is embodied energy, 40% of all U.K. water use is domestic, 50% of all raw materials, in construction, 50% CFCs used in buildings, 35% of all waste generated is C&D
  • What is Eco-Building? It is responsive to site and micro-climate ,Provides healthy and comfortable env, Has low energy requirements and costs, Is constructed with low energy, sustainably produced materials, Is resource efficient and minimises waste, Addresses issues of transport and density, Is durable, adaptable, and flexible
  • How to Build Eco?  Materials - assessed for their resource use, embodied energy, pollution created, waste generated, and effects on human health. Energy - Aim to reduce overall demand and then supply the remainder by renewables, least polluting of the fossil fuels, with efficient appliances. Water - Simple conservation and recycling techniques in the home can radically reduce the demand for tap water. Integrated design and project management. Post Occupancy Evaluation.
  • Waste Creation: Causes environmental degradation and human health hazards. Environmental 'costs' include waste of primary resources and impact of disposal. Produced in large quantities - typically 10:1.Every item of waste creation creates a problem roof waste disposal.
  • Design for Deconstruction:  Facilitate future dismantling, Separate layers, Avoid composite materials, Avoid hazardous materials, Ensure composition of products is fully identifiable, Prepare an 'asset register' on materials used and info on dismantling/reuse.
  • Checklist for Healthy Buildings: Minimise VOC emitting finishes. Check combustion in gas appliances. Check for radon. Avoid PVC and foamed plastics. Avoid chemical timber treatment. Have any asbestos or lead removed. Ideally Renewable (or abundant) materials, sustainably produced. Local production and availability. Relatively unprocessed, (low-energy, non-polluting). Recycled / recyclable. 'Healthy' (or at least neutral).

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Conclusion and what's next

Jonathan Brown closed by thanking all the speakers, the caterers, Gail and Shan for the organisation of the day and everyone for attending. He asked them to fill in an Evaluation Form and a What Next Questionnaire before leaving.

Evaluation of the seminar

 

Very poor

Average

Good

Excellent

Total

Your overall impression of the day          

  

6

10

3

19

Its relevance to your needs

1

12

5

1

19

The info Pack and supporting materials

  

4

10

5

19

The venue and catering

  

8

9

1

18

The speakers performance

  

6

11

2

19

Overall the comments were very positive. The information from speakers and packs which where provided seem to have answered most people's questions.

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Suggestions for further seminars are as follows:

  • More on Sustainable building and styles
  • Planning guidelines
  • News on possible local sites
  • Latest developments and projects.

What Next?

Actions that people will be taking, or that they suggested should happen included:

  • Setting up of an e-mail network for those that wish to be kept in contact with each other
  • Arrange another event taking on board the learning from this one, covering; funding, information about what support is available, more information and promotion of the community self-build concept    
  • Provide people with contacts and information about sources of help and advice
  • Forming a housing co-op
  • Arrange meetings and visits to other community self build projects
  • Speak to other like minded individuals interested in self-build
  • Joining a self-build group project
  • Further research on planning obstacles
  • Forming a local community land trust
  • Specific ideas from groups in the Dyfi valley for actual schemes
  • A group of people in Ceredigion who are interested in setting up their own project want to secure funding for a project officer to help take their ideas forward.

Gail Goodall and Jonathan Brown

25/03/06

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