Talk about DIY! Inside the south London estate where locals are building their own homes and saving £420,000 in the process

• The scheme was created for a development in Lewisham, South East London

Rising house prices and an ongoing cost of living crisis have resulted in a housing affordability crisis in much of the UK.

This is even more the case in the capital, where prices are at a premium and development space is increasingly scarce.

To combat rising costs, residents of a council estate in Lewisham were given the chance to build their own homes, saving an astronomical £420,000 in the process.

The Church Grove development in the Ladywell area of ​​the south-east London borough is offering 36 affordable homes to anyone willing to put their DIY skills to the test – following an initiative that began in 2016.

Rory Wakefield, a musician who was born and raised in the area, praised the scheme for giving him the chance to live where he was brought up, otherwise he would have been forced to live elsewhere.

Mr Wakefield told News Shopper: “I couldn’t have got a house without this scheme. It makes it accessible.

“I was born and bred in Lewisham and I could never have stayed here without this scheme.

“It’s a very positive scheme. They should definitely do more, they need them.

He added that he is still in the process of building his house and is currently working on laying the floors for his home.

Meanwhile, ambulance worker Martin Oroyan, 61, moved into his part-ownership last month with his partner and three sons – and praised the initiative as bringing the local community closer together.

Mr Oroyan said: “We have been involved with 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 a few years.

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

“Without this project, we wouldn’t have been able to afford to live in the M25.”

The new development used homes that are part of a community land trust, meaning they are owned by a non-profit organization to keep them affordable for interested buyers.

Units are offered in a variety of sizes and durations, including options for full ownership, part-rent-part-buy, London Living and social rent.

Indeed, the scheme has been so successful that there is now a long waiting list for anyone wishing to join the development.

Couple Pete Bell and Emma Onono – who moved into their property in April with their eight-year-old son – say the welcoming community is a marked difference to how they felt at their old home in Adelaide Avenue, located near Brockley.

Emma, ​​48, said: “I applied for the program a few years ago. Finally we got an email saying we made it to the top of the list and jumped on it.

“It has a great sense of community. You can’t go from one side to the other without saying hello to someone. Where we lived, nobody even knew their neighbors.

“We have one with a kitchen in a concrete shell. I built the floors and painted the walls, but that was it.

‘I like. I absolutely love it. There is a very nice community.

Sydney Thornbury, 57, took the option to buy outright on her property more than three months ago – and was one of the first residents to move in after opting to downsize.

Miss Thornbury says she built her own floors, painted the property’s walls and built her own bespoke kitchen.

She added: “We all love it, it’s been fantastic. It was even better than I thought it would be.

“This building is not only 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 wonderful things about it I think is that every apartment is really different. They all have a different style or feel to them.