A NEW housing initiative for Watchet was launched when representatives from the local community and a wide range of agencies came together in the town’s bowling club this week.

Base for Life Watchet (BfLW) has been created by residents to address what they see as a ‘severe and deepening’ housing crisis.

BfLW chairman Liz McGrath said: “Rising house prices and an explosion in rents, coupled with low incomes locally have produced a perfect storm for young people and families.

“Many people cannot afford even the most ‘affordable’ of homes and much of what is available is in poor condition or unsuitable.”

Base for Life Watchet is a non-profit community interest company (CIC), run entirely by and for local people.

The aim is to convert vacant or disused land or buildings into an accessible and sustainable stock of rental properties that will remain in community ownership.

Ms McGrath said: “This is a long-term project that will start to reverse the effects of housing policy failure and the changing demographics of Watchet to create housing appropriate for local need.”

BfLW intends to learn from similar successful projects in Bristol and elsewhere in the region, and use housing development to create local employment, such as by using future residents to design and build their own homes, and to be environmentally sustainable.

Ms McGrath said: “Wherever possible, Base for Life Watchet will develop ‘brownfield’ sites and use only sustainable materials to create a new kind of housing for Watchet’s future.”

After a lively discussion on the housing crisis, the meeting closed with a call for information on possible land or buildings available in Watchet for redevelopment.

Anybody who knows of potential development sites, or wants to know more about the project, should contact Base for Life Watchet by emailing to [email protected].