The maxim of an ‘English man’s home is his castle’ is fast losing its traction in contemporary Britain. The average age of a first time home buyer in the UK is currently in their mid-thirties compared to mid-twenties during the early ’90s. Rising market prices and mortgage rates remain prohibitive to many, without a significant deposit or loan from the bank of mum and dad. The net result is a whole generation, conveniently dubbed ‘Generation Rent’, left struggling to gain a foot hold on the property ladder.
Challenging the concept of the traditional house buying process, is United Vibrations band member and Director of The Rural Urban Synthesis Society (RUSS), Kareem Dayes.
A volunteer-led Community Land Trust organisation, RUSS are set to develop 33 new homes — a mix of affordable tenures — based on a self build model. The development is inspired by Kareem’s family home on Walters Way, Lewisham — an innovative and experimental architectural scheme developed in the ’80s by Walter Segal in cooperation with the local council, that enabled working class families to create sustainable modular homes.
We’ll be discussing self-building, RUSS and Walters Way with Kareem and Dave Dayes, with a view to how you, yes you, can go about building your own sustainable castle.
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LBB on NTS // Satruday 30 January // 2-3pm GMT // nts.live