WEST Somerset Council could soon be leading the way in the provision of environmentally sustainable affordable homes, members of the council's cabinet were told on Monday. The announcement comes six weeks after the authority was condemned by the Audit Commission for failing to deliver any affordable homes in the district in the last year. Inspectors from the commission said the authority was providing a poor housing service and rated it as a zero star council out of a potential three stars with uncertain prospects for improvement. But on Monday, members were told the district could soon be pioneering a scheme to provide 20 environmentally sustainable affordable homes on Carhampton's Townsend Farm development through the formation of a community land trust. Councillors were told a trust was merely a legal mechanism to allow community ownership of land and operated in a similar way to housing associations, with purchasers buying their homes through shared equity. Cllr Jess Griffith urged cabinet members to support the use of a community land trust and said the Townsend Farm scheme could see the council at the forefront of sustainable development. "This will give us the opportunity to lead the way in terms of sustainable building," she said. "It could provide inspiration for others to do the same. "We need a corporate will do this and I hope we have that. There is a community will to do this. "The third is political will and I hope you have that to enable this vision to be turned into a reality for West Somerset." Under the proposals, the Townsend Farm scheme would involve a development of 30 homes, with ten for sale on the open market and the remaining 20 being a mix of affordable homes to either rent or buy. Deputy chief executive Rod Latham said affordability was also being considered in environmental as well as financial terms, with the homes being designed to maximise energy efficiency, minimise waste, utilise sustainable materials and building techniques and incorporate low or zero carbon energy sources. In his report to cabinet, he said: "Having considered a number of different approaches, it was felt that the best way of delivering what is an ambitious set of objectives would be to partner with an organisation that had complementary aims. "Discussions were, therefore, held with a number of interested parties. "While 30 units are still envisaged, the mix may vary depending on more detailed analysis of local need. "The major change is the proposal that the site could be developed by a community land trust and, as a result, that the affordable to buy element would be based on a shared equity model rather than the council's own scheme." Carhampton and Withycombe member Cllr Peter Humber said he was "delighted" cabinet members were considering the report and hailed the update as "a very exciting document". He said the parish council in Carhampton had been both supportive and pro-active and added: "I believe this is the way forward for the council in terms of the delivery of affordable housing. "I look forward to this as an exemplar." Cabinet members agreed to the formation of a community land trust, notably by holding "detailed negotiations" with the Somerset Trust for Sustainable Development.
