1. What if

2. In the 2011 Presteigne and Norton Housing Survey, 57% of respondents identified the need for affordable housing, with single occupancy being the highest demand

3. Local people said “We need to help young locals set up home on their own” “ A small development yes, but not a large one” “Affordable homes have been proposed in planning but not happened, with luxury 4 bedroom detached properties being built” “We’d love our own eco-home”

4. So we started to make a plan

5. We didn’t want a corporate development. We wanted a local one that put local community and place first.

6. We gathered important local information

7. We drew ideas from other community build projects 

8. And we used previous successful campaigns as a template for getting the right messages out and building up support

9. Land! With local people firmly behind the idea, a local landowner offered us land at a good price.

10. Street Party! In July 2014 we got planning permission for 10 units … including shared laundry, gardens and a bike shed with solar recharger for electric bikes

11. We built to high Eco-standards, using super insulation, local and recycled materials, local expertise. Energy saving was a top priority.

12. It was hard work Often unpaid

13. But also fun

14. And we love living here