Lewisham community who can't afford to buy homes use 'build-it-yourself' scheme

Meet the first-time buyers tackling London's spiralling house prices - by moving into 'build-it-yourself' properties.

The average cost of a home in the city last year was £720k - significantly more than anywhere else in the country.

Too high for many Londoners, this created a gap in the market - which has been filled by a self-build scheme in the south-east.

People have started moving into the community in Ladywell, Lewisham, where all 36 homes are price-capped.

Properties have some rooms - the kitchen and the bathroom already installed and residents then build the rest, with self-build managers, an architect and a carpenter offering training to the residents.

And the scheme is proving popular - with the waiting time for a property currently at nine YEARS.

Rory Wakefield. (Image: SWNS)

Meet the Lewisham community building their own homes

Rory Wakefield, a musician, is still in the process of building his home and is currently working on laying his floors.

He purchased his flat for around £300,000 one month ago.

As a first-time buyer, he was thrilled to own a home and says he has been a longtime fan of the scheme.

He said: “I wouldn’t have been able to get a house without this scheme. It makes it affordable.

“I was born and raised in Lewisham, and I would never have been able to stay here without this scheme.

“It is a very positive scheme. They should definitely make more, they need them.

“The government just want to put up things that make money quickly, they don’t actually care about helping people.”

A map of the development. (Image: SWNS)

Mr Wakefield also loved being able to build parts of the property himself, as it gave him more creative freedom.

The 31-year-old added: “I want it to look the way I want.

“I am into the philosophy of building a sustainable space and community. That is why I wanted to be involved."

The new development is made up of 36 homes and has taken 15 years from conception to completion.

The homes are part of a community land trust, meaning they are owned by a non-profit organisation, which keeps them affordable.

Units are offered in various sizes and tenures: full ownership, part-rent-part-buy, London Living Rent, and social rent.

Martin Oroyan, 61, moved into his part-rent-part-buy property with his partner and three sons just over a month ago and is absolutely thrilled with the community feel.

Martin Oroyan. (Image: SWNS)

The ambulance worker declined to say how much he bought his property for, but says he spent 25 per cent of its value.

He said: “We have been involved in this project here in Ladywell since its inception in 2016 and it has been quite an experience.

"My partner and I were first-time buyers and had been trying to get ‘on the ladder’ for several years.

“Our three boys were born while living in Forest Hill and we hoped to avoid moving, changing schools and the general upheaval that implies.

"Without this project, we wouldn’t have been able to afford living within the M25."

He added: "It is a friendly place to live and wonderfully quiet. Everyone is supportive, and there’s a feeling of 'neighbourhood' that, unfortunately, has been lost from other urban areas.

The development. (Image: SWNS)

"It’s heartening to know that new residents will have the same opportunity we did in terms of affordability and be able to create their own stories here as we are now.”

The housing scheme was set up by Rural Urban Synthesis Society (RUSS), which has amassed over 1100 members since its creation.

This has caused the Ladywell development to have a lengthy waiting list.

Couple Pete Bell and Emma Onono moved into their property in April with their eight-year-old son, and say the welcoming community is a far cry from their old home in Adelaide Avenue.

Pete Bell and Emma Onono. (Image: SWNS)

Emma, 48, said: “We applied for the scheme several years ago. Eventually we got an email saying that we made the top of the list and we jumped at it.

“It has a great community feel. You can’t walk from one side to the other without saying hi to someone. Where we used to live no one even knew their neighbours.

“We got one with a kitchen in a concrete shell. We built the floors and painted the walls but that was all.

“I love it. Absolutely love it. There is a really nice community."

55-year-old Pete says the couple paid just over 50 per cent of the value of their family home, at around £300,000 for a £600,000 property.

The property is in Lewisham. (Image: SWNS)

He added: “We were on the waitlist for eight or nine years. It is very popular.

“We have always rented, and we were interested in the affordable housing."

Sydney Thornbury, 57, fully bought her property over three months ago as one of the first to move in.

She decided to take part in the scheme to downsize and says she absolutely adores living there.

She said: “We all love it, it has been fantastic. It has been even better than I thought it would be.

“Not only is this building an incredible testament to what people have achieved but also the community that has been created since going through this process.

“One of the really lovely things about it I think is that every flat is really different. They all have a different style or feel to them.

Sydney Thornbury (Image: SWNS)

“I think sometimes newbuilds can feel personality-less but these really don’t.”

Miss Thornbury says that she put in her own floors, painted her walls and built her own custom kitchen.

The 57-year-old also echoed the idea that there is a great, safe, community feel in the development.

She said: “My door is open all the time, neighbours come by and I go by theirs. The kids run up and play with my dog. It is a really lovely vibe and you feel like everyone’s values are aligned.”