MEMBERS of a West Somerset community-led housing group will be asked next month to vote on a motion to close it down after failing to find any suitable sites to develop in nearly a decade.
West Somerset Community Land Trust (WSCLT) chairman Maureen Smith only in February told Minehead town councillors how every possible site had been exhausted but without success.
Ms Smith, who is a former town and district councillor, said several potential locations were identified and the trust also looked at converting existing buildings but found the work was not viable.
Now, a proposal will be put to the trust’s annual meeting at 11am on April 12 to close down and end its work in West Somerset, despite a growing need for the type of housing it had wanted to provide.
Ms Smith said: “Since we were launched as a community benefit society in 2016, we have explored over 40 potential sites, encountering a range of obstacles which proved insurmountable.
“We have come to this decision with great reluctance, mainly because the directors are unable to continue for health and other reasons.
“We hope that other groups will come forward to continue the work of promoting low-cost, good quality, social homes in West Somerset to be retained in community ownership.
“We plan to share the knowledge we have gained with any groups.”
Ms Smith said the board was grateful for the support of its members and the councillors and staff of Somerset Council and its predecessors over its nine years.
She said in common with other rural areas, the shortage of affordable housing in West Somerset was a source of great concern.
Ms Smith said the difference between supply and demand rose by 2,700 between 2023 and 2024, with the estimate for the time needed to provide one-bedroomed homes increasing from six to eight years.
WSCLT declared a housing emergency in the area last year and published a report identifying several measures it believed Somerset Council could take to help to alleviate the problem, some of which were free of cost or required minimal investment.
Among the actions the trust wanted to see was a doubling of council tax on empty and second homes from April this year.
It was particularly troubled by a reducing supply of affordable homes, which it said was due to housing associations being unable to afford to buy from developers using Section 106 legal agreements, because increased building costs, maintenance, and improvements made it too costly.
Ms Smith said community land trusts were established by local people to provide affordable housing to rent or buy, with the aim of enabling residents and their families to remain in their communities.
They were run by members of the trust, usually in partnership with a housing association, and provided essential security of tenure by retaining the freehold in perpetuity.
Ms Smith said anybody was welcome to attend the WSCLT annual meeting, which will be held in Williton Pavilion, Williton, when the closure vote will be taken.