AFFORDABLE HOMES

21st CENTURY CAVES

WELCOME - to a world of information for those interested in living as near a zero carbon lifestyle as is possible, as affordably as possible in a modern cave for modern cavemen.

POLITICS - Politicians want you to keep working to pay for overpriced property, transport and fossil fuels. The longer you work the more they can tax you - and the more carbon dioxide we produce  as you have to work harder to pay for something that is priced artificially high.

The higher the price of petrol and mortgage repayments and the more deadwood in society your toil is supporting - such as civil servants and bankers in plum jobs for life. Take a look at sustainable cherry thinking and tell them where they can stick their plums. Millions of schoolchildren agree with their strikes 4 climate action.

THE BUBBLE IS BURSTING - They are school kids temporarily sacrificing their education in order to save our futures from dangerous climate change. For too long those in trusted positions have been profiteering from high carbon business. It is morally repugnant and they are climate criminals. On November 30, over 15,000 boys and girls went on strike from school in every capital city and over 20 regional centres across Australia. On March 15, they are going even bigger and inviting adults to join them in solidarity for a Global Climate Strike! We ask, should that not include every country in the world?

AFFORDABILITY - is a relative term. We want to share some ideas with you as to how to get onto the property ladder for much less by joining forces with other like minded persons in your area to get sensibly priced housing built locally.

VIEWPOINT - we have to change the way we look at houses. Property developers don't see a house as a home, they see a house as a way to make shareholders a profit supported by banks who want to sell you more money than you can afford - and so drain you and ruin your quality of life.

PROBLEM - property speculation is partly responsible for high house/land prices. Cheap labour is the other side of the problem. Either the minimum wage is not high enough or house prices are too high. But, we're not here to think about what is to blame. We need to take these problems out of the equation and find a solution.

HOW? - change the way houses are built and who builds them, applying ourselves intelligently to a problem. We are looking for a 21st Century solution.

WEALDEN DISTRICT COUNCIL - We can only report on what is happening local to us. You will need to see if your local authority are acting for the common good, or if they are doing the same as our climate dimwits in Sussex. This is as of January 2019. We hope that by 2020 we can say that our climate fools have either been on a climate awareness course, or that planning-speeding has been outlawed - preferably by statute. Because we all know that if there is a loophole or any gray area at all, this council will use it to make another fast buck.

BRICK BUILDINGS - Clay caves are not heat efficient and take too long to build. You are considering buying one because your family and friends live in one and maybe there's no other choice where you are. But pro-rata they cost too much and that usually means a mortgage well over £100k plus a substantial deposit.

21st CENTURY DESIGN FOR A CLEAN FUTURE - Timber buildings are thermally sound and with replanting schemes; sustainable. Prefabrication reduces build costs and installation time. By including heat and energy harvesting features, the cost of running a home goes down, so you don't need to earn so much to live and so reduce your carbon footprint. In our opinion, zero carbon also includes the carbon footprint of the user and that relates directly to how much energy he uses to earn the money he gives to the banks. We've all heard of 'green' banks. Genuinely green banks will want to lend less to more people.

WHERE? - New planning policies demand affordable land for affordable houses. If there's none locally, you can choose for your council. Our experts are here to help with the red tape. Unless you know the policies backward, it may not be clear to you how they help. New policies help because in the UK, central government is frustrated at the way local authorities are not meeting planning targets. In recognition of this, they introduced a requirement for them to earmark a rolling stock of land for affordable housing. 

PROBLEM - Despite the 'rolling stock' requirement, local authority sluggards are not identifying this rolling stock - indeed, they almost never meet such targets. They are sometimes years behind with Local Plans. And that is why we have a housing shortage. Council's are made up of middle class citizens who can afford expensive houses and want to build expensive houses in their area. For many being elected is a hobby they are untrained for. Council officers are not forward thinkers by nature, or they would not have chosen a 'safe' civil servant career. They don't like affordable housing and are in most cases incapable of planning our future. Thankfully, central government recognized this and gave us the power to plan for ourselves. It is up to us to use that power to help central government reach their performance targets.

BUSHFIRES  Wooden buildings are not suitable for areas prone to wildfires such as Australia or California, unless clad with suitable barriers such as Insulcrete panels. In danger areas, build from fire resistant materials and allow for fire breaks. It is the climate criminal politicians that have allowed this situation to develop. You are partly responsible for voting them in. Vote them out as soon as possible.

A compliant mobile unit that one of our associates secured permission for in 2006 looking much the same in 2013 - the rustic look was specified. This home does not have heat or energy harvesting apparatus, but was supplied as a flatpack. An opportunity missed in terms of energy generation locally maybe, but a bold step in the right direction. The occupier burns logs, renewable energy, yes, but also polluting. Fortunately, he is a country gent and very green in other areas, such as planting trees for which he is commended. Councils take note.

GUIDE (starter) PRICES RE-PAX £

LIVING COST COMPARISON FOR BRICK, E-PAX and RE-PAX HOUSES

EARTHSHIP BRIGHTON - Sustainable building depends on design choices in terms of architecture, systems and materials. Some natural buildings are mainly defined by choice of material. Cob building, for example, can be used to build beautiful homes using earth from the site, but often with limited integration of appropriate systems. Other approaches can be more holistic, none more so than earthships. There are many ways you can break free of the shackles of society, and these days it is fashionable to use alternative technology to make a cave for yourself without being labeled a hippie. There is of course nothing wrong with being in touch with mother nature.

FINANCE (MORTGAGES)

Mortgage companies will lend up to 4 x a wage. This determines what is affordable locally. Genuinely affordable houses will therefore be in the £50,000 to £90,000 range. This then is the target budget.

LAND VALUES

The real problem with affordable house delivery is land values. Councils could earmark land for affordable development only, so setting the value realistically for social development. The exceptions policy would allow this and planning consents - without attracting the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) currently running at around £18,000 per new build.

E & RE PAX SUSTAINABLE HOUSING FORMULA

THE E and RE-PAX modular system comes together to provide comfortable ecologically sound housing at affordable prices. They are built to last using treated timbers in structural areas. The flood and tsunami resistant units have a higher specification to be able to float without damage.

RE-PAX DIY INSTALLATION - With a friendly carpenter, or a good DIY background, these homes may be installed (minus wiring and plumbing in about a week. No ground works are necessary, except for permanent installations for sanitation.

ELITISM - A mortgage that is too costly, is every bit a chain around your neck as with these poor fellows. What gives any human the right to enslave another human being? The answer to that is the State. When the State promotes practices that, in effect, allow one human to profit so hugely at the expense of other humans - then the State is party to promoting slavery. Those councils that allow houses to be built that nobody can afford on an average wage, are promoting financial slavery and a hard life with little chance of escape other than when that depart this world. Planning consents should only be given to affordable housing in the £50 - 80,000 range, depending on wages in your area. A young couple should be able to live comfortably on their wage and raise a family - not slave for years to pay ridiculous rents and make some people rich and the majority poor. The system is totally corrupt and has been for years.

As soon as you are 18, why not vote for Financial Emancipation. You will need to find a party with a manifesto that radically revises current planning practices. It will be a kind of economic revolution that the current slave traders (landlords and bankers) will react to with more more brown envelopes slipped into party funds. The ruling elite will not want their boats rocked. Challenge is happening in Greece at the moment where the young are voting out the corrupt establishment, for change to a fairer society. The radical left-wing party Syriza won the general elections in January 2015 in Greece with nearly 36 percent of the vote. Unshackle yourself and your children - why don't you.

**Green belt is between £5,000 - 6,800 an acre. Brownfield sites are more than this for a single building plot - hence, could never be affordable. Land must be released for building in whatever country you are trying to live a Zero Carbon lifestyle. Population stability is also a major issue. The planet cannot afford for the population to grow. Families need to understand that excess reproduction is counter to Zero Carbon. More children = more houses. Simple maths. 

The UK housing market should be prevented from increasing inflation and taking houses far out of reach of the ordinary working man. We are suggesting that there should be a cap on house increases by virtue of an increase in stamp duty where a house is sold far above the rate on inflation, then there would be an inflation tax applied, which tax collected should go back into a pool for land for affordable houses. The same system should apply to land sales, to prevent farmers and other land owners from earning money for nothing.

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Cherry Affordable Homes is an associate  of the Climate Change Trust. Please note that this website was originally published by Utopia Tristar Partners, hence contains legacy articles. We review the media comprehensively for educational purposes so that you can make an informed choice. The publishers assert their rights to receive and impart ideas and information as per Articles 9 and 10 of the European Convention of Human RIghts