gcp have been working closely with Mark Community Land Trust and South Western Housing Society to develop a project of 12 homes which will provide affordable housing for local people in the village of Mark in the Somerset Levels. Like many rural villages homes in Mark are unaffordable for young families and people who are in low-waged rural employment. This makes it hard for people with family or work connections to find homes and stay in the village. Following a housing need survey that showed that there was a significant number of people who wanted to live in Mark but were priced out of the housing market, a group of local volunteers set up a Community Land Trust to find a solution. After a long process of testing sites and finding a willing landowner the CLT found a site and employed gcp to develop design and planning proposals.
Following a period of community engagement and consultation gcp finalised a design that delivers an attractive contemporary appearance, with a mix of homes including bungalows, houses and apartments, that will meet a broad range of needs and will provide high quality, energy efficient homes for the village. The project was submitted to Sedgemoor District Council for Planning Approval and at a full planning committee meeting this week received the support of all councillors (with one abstention).
This is great news for the village and we look forward to starting the construction stage in the new year, working with EG Carter Construction to deliver the new homes for the beginning of 2018.
