Start date for Bishop's Castle housing plan

Organisers behind a £140,000 plan to build communally owned affordable houses in south Shropshire have revealed the start date for their first project.

The Bishop's Castle Community Land Trust has spent three years preparing and fundraising to build two homes on the Kings Head Yard site in the town. They are now ready to start work on November 19.

Jim Gaffney, from the land trust, said the eco homes would be a "significant asset" for the town.

He said: "This is a bit of an historic moment for the BCCLT. It's been a long haul organising the funding, the planning and the legal stuff to get to this point and some CLT members have shown heroic patience and determination already.

"But now, all our shareholders are getting very close to owning a significant asset for Bishop's Castle and district, one of the first truly community-owned and run affordable housing projects in the country."

The group raised £20,000 by selling shares in the project and received grants from a number of sources including Shropshire Council.

Mr Gaffney said it was hoped rent for the properties would be about £70 a week. The properties will be suitable for one or two people.

The land trust owns land to be used for the good of the community, not to make a profit, with all income going back into the trust and encourages local residents to be shareholders.