A long-term project underway within Herefordshire will encourage local people to take more control over housing to be built in or near their communities.

Herefordshire Centre for Community-Led Housing (HCCLH) has been formed over the last year by ordinary local citizens through much voluntary effort.

It will ‘promote and support the development of affordable and sustainable community-led housing across Herefordshire.’

The project has been supported by Herefordshire Council using some of the £503,000 grant provided by the Government’s Community Housing Fund and is administered by long-established local charity Welcome to our Future.

The centre has now appointed its first employee, Nancy Winfield as full-time Project Development Manager.

Nancy explains: “Housing can be a contentious local issue, so we believe community involvement is vital to getting the housing we really need. HCCLH is in the forefront of a number of Government-backed projects across the UK intended to enable groups of local people to get together, make a decision on the type of housing they need within their community and then get these homes built.

“As a part of this we will work closely with local authority departments, Parish Councils, Neighbourhood Plan groups, Housing Associations and self-build groups and also with local landowners, businesses and suppliers.

“HCCLH is here to help people access all the knowledge, resources and training they need to form a community group and take their building project from initial idea to completion.

“If anyone would like to find out more then I’m ready to answer any questions on 07999 925545.”

A new HCCLH website will be available soon and the project will be officially launched by local MP, The Rt Hon Jessie Norman from 11.30am on September 29th in Hereford.

If anyone would like to attend the launch, please call Nancy Winfield on 07999 925545 or email via: [email protected]See this week’s paper for more stories like this, available in shops and as a Digital Edition now