Salvation Army Site

[abjb&jb]

Hello,

Does anyone know what is proposed for the old Salvation Army Site?
http://www.lawrieparklandsydenham.co.uk/

The site is under offer and I'm trying to find out by whom and what will go there. However I think this is an ideal location for self build plots and I want to get a group of people together to submit an alternative application.

By my reckoning there is space for up to 30 3 bed houses (or a mix equivalent to this). Offers over £5m are suggested. This equates to £165k per plot of 300 sq meters (allowing for communal land taking up a 1/3 of the land).

A 3 bed house would cost approx £120k to build bringing the total cost to £285k per house. However a 3 bed house in Sydenham costs more like £450k and this is a highly desirable spot. So I think individuals involved in the scheme would have a lot of incentive to work for. And it would need a lot of work by each involved. However I don't want financial gain to be the incentive, rather building something decent and creating a great community. Therefore it would probably be necessary to have a clause preventing immediate selling.

I am looking for people who have experience who could give advice on this and I'm looking for like minded people who would be interested in taking this on.

[Eagle]

This looks like a lovely green site that needs protecting.

[Annie.]

Thing is Eagle developers will buy it, and one way or another build shabby small houses for " affordable" housing,
maybe the OP has got quite a good idea here,at least if people invested their hard earned time and money in such a project it would encourage them to look after the area,
In the 50/60s my friends parents and their friends built a group of houses helping each other with their various skills,
The houses were built in Jasper road at Crystal Palace.
It will not be allowed to just stay as a nice green space.

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[Chris Best]

As this is in Bromley why not contact the Crystal Palace ward cllrs to see if they will support self build as part of the planning gain on the site - Cllr Tom Papworth or Cllr John Canvin. I would have thought there was some public subsidy from the Housing Corporation Inow Homes and Communities Agency) when the homes were first built.

[abjb&jb]

Thanks for those names Chris I shall follow up on your suggestion. I had been thinking it was Lewisham as I live 500m away, in Lewisham. I know The Mayor has a fund for cheap finance for self build and I expect there are a lot of angles to this. It is the sort of project politicians promote and communities ask for. Rarely do they succeed though. My guess is that this is because many people collectively have take a risk. However low success rates can be a plus for a successful project which achieves the spotlight. A rare example is Ashley Vale in Bristol.
http://www.selfbuild-central.co.uk/firs ... e-bristol/

My fear is the same as Annie's, that this will become a site of terrible housing which I'll be upset to walk past. I can't bare to accept I haven't tried to stop that. I need like minded people to tackle this together.

[Annie.]

Good luck with your venture.

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