WATCHET’S new community housing company Base for Life, set up by residents less than six months ago to tackle the local housing crisis, has started to raise funds and has already had a plot of land donated, a public meeting at the town’s Royal British Legion was told.

The non-profit company aims to convert disused land or buildings into rented properties which will remain in community ownership.

Representatives of the local authority, local businesses and other related organisations heard from chair Liz McGrath that Base for Life had already intervened in an attempt by Acorn Housing Association to alter the tenancy of a group of social housing apartments in Watchet.

She said had the planning application been successful, the units would have been sold off, denying the existing tenants of their accommodation and removing yet more accessible housing from the town.

Base for Life helped organise opposition to the bid and offered to acquire the housing units from Acorn.

Mrs McGrath added that once it became apparent the application would be turned down, it was withdrawn and the threat to the social housing has, for the time being, been removed. 

Suggestions for future action ranged from acting as a housing broker or, a provider of construction training, the establishment of a ‘building society’ and working as a lobby group pushing for radical changes in housing policy.

The meeting heard that the company’s next steps would include more fund-raising and the formation of further strategic partnerships with local businesses and other organisations.