THE deadline is fast approaching for people to help with some key research into local houisng needs.

West Somerset Community Land Trust is carrying out a survey to establish housing need is in the area as a first step towards providing high standard, community owned rental properties.

It is asking people to let it know where they need houses, what they can afford and what their requirements are, by filling out a short online survey by January 31.

Following this, focus groups will be carried out to get a more in-depth understanding of people’s needs.

In the meantime, the trust is also consulting housing professionals and those who work with people who may be in need.

Once the local housing need has been established, the trust hopes to build or renovate a series of high standard, sustainable, community-owned rental properties which will provide local people with affordable rents and security of tenure.

It is also looking to recruit local housing contacts who can both signpost people in the community to them as well as identify potential sites.

This will mirror the successful work being carried out by the Exmoor Rural Housing Network.

“The shortage of sustainable housing which is affordable to live in, in Minehead and West Somerset as a whole, will continue to worsen,” said Maureen Smith, secretary of the trust.

“Few large sites are available, and those that are lack infrastructure, which increases costs and deters developers.

“Small sites, including the mystery brownfield site announced recently [by West Somerset Council as part of a new Government starter home scheme], can help, but hardly constitute a ‘housing boom’ ”, she said.

“As so many homes built for the open market disappear into the second home category or become expensive private lettings, providing permanently low cost homes is the way forward and is what West Somerset Community Land Trust has pledged to do.”

The trust is working to provide homes that are genuinely affordable based on local wages not national averages.

The organisation will be community controlled and any homes built or renovated will be owned for the benefit of the community.

To do the online survey, for more information or to become a housing contact visit wsclt.com.