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First home in a pioneering local housing development

25 April 2008

The owner of the first home in a pioneering local housing development moved in just in time for Christmas.

Jane Trott, who works in the pharmacy department at Musgrove Park Hospital, paid just £75,000 for a two bedroom house with garden at Cobb Castle, between Taunton and Wellington. Three bedroom homes were £99,000.

This unique development of affordable homes for first time buyers is the result of a partnership between Taunton Deane and local developers, Summerfield Homes. It is possibly the first of its kind in the country.

Miss Trott is "really thrilled" with Cobb Castle, and says without the scheme she could never have afforded her own home. She has been living in rented accommodation in Wellington but now has a mortgage, a step on the housing ladder and a totally modern house to call her own.

Summerfield presented Jane with a bouquet of flowers to mark the occasion and Taunton Deane's Mayor and Mayoress, Cllr Ken and Mrs Mary Hayward were shown round the development. Both said they were highly impressed by what they had seen, and said it was a real opportunity for local people to get into the housing market.

Cobb Castle is unique because the 32 homes will always remain below market price. The owner occupiers have full freehold but a planning agreement means they must always be sold at a percentage below the full market price.

The owner can make a profit like any other homeowner but it will always remain in step with the low price first paid for the property. There is no shared ownership or housing association involvement.

It is a simple scheme but took 18 months of negotiations between Summerfield Homes and the council and building societies to get off the ground. Now it is likely to be copied in other parts of the country.

Miss Trott's home has a hall, living room, cloakroom and fully fitted kitchen, double glazing, central heating, and two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. "It's smashing, I'm really pleased."

Also present for the handover was Mrs Lesley Webb, Taunton Deane's Housing Enabling Manager, who has been the prime mover behind the scheme, and is passionate about providing low cost housing for local people.

She said:" I'm really impressed, especially with the kitchen and living room. I can't get over how big it is for the price."

She explained that prospective buyers have to be approved by Taunton Deane and fulfil the criteria of being a first time buyer, be on a modest income and have local connections.

All the homes were sold within three months and there is now a waiting list.

  • In 1991 Taunton Deane Borough Council owned 7,864 houses. In the 1980\'s there were 10,400. Since then 1,759 have been sold, and it now has 6,105 homes.
  • In December 2007 there were 4,424 people on the housing waiting list compared with 1.870 in August 1994.
  • Many of these people will have to wait years before being offered accommodation. Taunton Deane has a chronic need for all kinds of homes from one bed units for single people to 5/6 bed family homes.
  • Couttie Associates carried out a Housing Need Survey for Taunton Deane in 2002 which proved a need for 131 new affordable homes in the boirugh. In December 2005
  • Ark Consultancy updated the survey and stated the affordable housing need had increased to 564 affordable homes a year. The actual delivery is well below these figures. Less than a third of this demand is being provided.
  • The TUC estimated recently that house prices have risen by 180% since 1997 while wages have risen by 43%. In the South West house prices rose by 198% and wages by 41.5%.
  • The RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) estimates a couple on lower incomes of £26,667 p.a. would spend 44% of their combined take home pay to service a mortgage – if they could afford to put down a deposit.

One of the major problems for Taunton Deane is the lack of housing land available. The site at Cobb Castle is what is known technically as an exception site with a consequent lower cost which allows the developer to build at a lower cost.

Summerfield Homes is also keen to develop other sites in Taunton Deane in a similar manner to help the district\'s chronic housing shortage. So far the company has held five public meetings, two in Trull and others in Hatch Beauchamp, Henlade and Oake.

The company has also recently agreed to buy two acres of land owned by the National Trust near the Wellsprings Leisure Centre in Taunton to build more than 100 homes for local people on modest incomes.

Money from the sale of the land will be used to restore nearby Fyne Court, also owned by the National Trust. The apartments will start at an estimated £69,000. A meeting will be held to discuss the scheme at Wellsprings Leisure Centre on January 17. Colin Mattravers, a director of Summerfield, has first hand experience of the nimby attitude of some established residents to schemes by the company to help first time buyers.

"We do get some objections, particularly in Trull, but what we are seeing at these meetings is plenty of people coming forward once they actually understand what we are doing and saying their sons or daughters would give their eye teeth to have one of these properties. And these are people not on the council\'s housing waiting list. This is the hidden need, and the lack of affordable homes is what forces our young people to leave the area.

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