Corfe Castle protest as social housing is put up for sale

Residents in Corfe Castle in Dorset are leading a protest against housing association homes being sold off on the open market, fearing it will force local families to leave Purbeck.

Ceramic artist Rachel Fooks has set up a campaign calling on the UK Government to change the policy which allows housing associations to sell off its stock of affordable rental properties.

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This desirable housing association three bed semi in Halves Cottages in Corfe Castle has been listed for sale at £350,000

Marketed as project with potential

Rachel’s grandparents rented a three bedroomed semi detached home in Halves Cottages, Corfe Castle for 70 years but it is now up for sale at £350,000 on Rightmove as a ‘project with potential in a sought after village’.

The estate agent details add:

“Additional features include double glazing and gas-fired central heating, offering a solid foundation for renovation. Situated in a desirable area, this property offers endless possibilities to create a modern family home with character.”

Aster housing association took the decision to market the property after Rachel’s grandfather died earlier this year and her gran moved into a nursing home, saying it was too expensive to maintain and energy inefficient.

Proceeds from the sale will be used by the not for dividend housing association to improve other homes and to build new affordable homes. Aster Group says it has built more than 900 social homes in 2023/24 and plans to build 8,500 more in the next seven years.

But opponents point out that these are highly unlikely to be built in Purbeck given the general lack of suitable new build sites and the higher costs of putting up homes in a desirable area.

Rachel Fooks (right) with her uncle Dave Fooks (left), whose family lived in the home for 70 years

“It is detrimental to local communities”

Rachel Fooks said:

“Aster is selling its housing stock once a tenancy ends if they believe it’s more cost effective to sell the house than to update or decorate it.

“There are another two empty Aster homes in this road, others in Langton Matravers and other Purbeck villages, and we fear those might also be sold.

“With a national shortage of affordable housing and in many areas no land to rebuild lost stock, I believe this is unacceptable and detrimental to local communities.

“The sold houses have no covenants on them to keep them for local people, nothing to stop the new owners renting them out at a high price, be used as a second home or to rent out as a holiday home.

“Aster told Corfe Castle Parish Council that it was too late to stop the sale of my grandparents house – except it’s not, it can simply be withdrawn from the market. I’d like to see this house saved from being redeveloped, used as a second home or rented out as a holiday home but I can’t do it alone.”

Two dozen Corfe Castle residents joined the protest on Thursday 3rd October 2024

“We must do what we can to stop the sale”

Rachel added:

“We all know that communities need affordable housing, yet Aster is selling off its housing stock despite there being a proven local need and people waiting on the housing register.

“The house at Halves Cottages has been our family’s home since it was first built, and it just needs decorating. The kitchen and bathroom could do with replacing, but they’re no worse than anyone else who had them fitted at the same time.”

“It’s a three bedroom stone built home with a good size garden, and perfect for one of the many families in Corfe Castle waiting for a home who don’t want to be moved elsewhere in the county.

“Aster should not be able to sell off perfectly good homes, it’s not like they are building new homes in Purbeck to replace the ones they are selling – and we are now beginning to hear of others that they have sold or are planning to sell.

“We must do what we can to stop housing associations selling properties and leaving families waiting for years on a waiting list!”

28 new homes in Spyway, Langton Matravers, were built with help from the Aster Group in 2023 – but 1,500 people applied for them

“Decision to sell not taken lightly”

A spokesperson for Aster Group said:

“We continually review our homes to make sure they are safe and well maintained for our customers. When a property becomes vacant, we thoroughly assess its condition before any new customer moves in.

“In a very small number of cases, we take the decision to release properties if we find they do not meet the standards we expect for the longer term, where ongoing costs to heat and run the property will likely prove significant for our customers, and where the cost to us of upgrading the property cannot be justified.

“Any decision to sell a property is not taken lightly. We reinvest proceeds of any sales into building more modern, energy efficient, affordable homes, as well as maintaining our other homes for the benefit of our customers.”

The kitchen of the home now for sale in Halves Cottages
RIGHTMOVE

The kitchen of the home now for sale in Halves Cottages

49 Dorset homes sold since January 2023

The spokesperson added:

“Currently we own and manage nearly 9,000 affordable homes in Dorset. We intend to build over 700 new affordable homes in Dorset over the next five years.

“Since January 2023 we have sold 49 properties in Dorset and used the proceeds of these sales to build 186 more good quality, sustainable, new affordable homes there.

“We continue to work with the local authority and parish councils to identify new sites for building more affordable homes in Dorset.”

Single mother Rosie Deane has been unable to find a place of her own in Swanage for the past two years

“I’m on a waiting list at least two years long”

One person who signed the protest, Swanage single mother Rosie Deane said:

“It’s so unfair. I’ve lived in Swanage most of my life, grew up here and would like to raise my baby in Swanage, but I’m having to live with my parents at the moment because there are no flats available anywhere, let alone houses! How on earth can they think there is no local demand?

“The council told me I’m on a waiting list which is at least two years long to get anywhere local to Purbeck – there are dozens of families desperate for housing in Swanage as we have been completely priced out of the market and even with full time wages are not able to rent privately.

“The only quicker way to get a property would be to be homeless, which I am not willing to do because obviously that puts me and my daughter at risk. Even then, it would likely be a caravan or a hostel which would be unsuitable for a baby.

“It’s a pretty desperate position to be in before you are considered for social housing, to see the housing association is selling it off instead of renting it to other families came as a shock and I’m very unhappy about it.”

Affordable housing at Compass Point in Swanage was nowhere near enough to meet demand

“We are desperate for a house”

Posting on social media, Katie Harris said that her family of five are living in a two-bed flat in Swanage while waiting for a suitable sized home to become available, and was furious that local housing association homes were being put on the open market.

Katie Harris said:

“We are desperate for a house. If we want to move to the outskirts of Dorset we would have a good chance of getting a home, but after living in Swanage for over 20 years, why should we?

“Our family and friends are here, our children attend school here, we work here. We never wanted to be in this situation, but when you are evicted because the landlord wants to move, and you can’t afford the local rental rates, what else can we do?

“I understand that Aster has the right to sell off their properties, but how does that help the local housing shortage? Compass Point has had social housing available, but I know that some of these houses have been given to people who aren’t from the area.

“Back in July a three-bed home came up but we were placed sixth on the list! The following day a house came up in Bridport and we were first on the list. I just don’t understand how the system works.”

Halves Cottages in Corfe Castle where there are currently three empty housing association homes

“Too late to stop sale going through”

Corfe Castle Parish Council clerk Michelle Harrington said:

“As soon as it was brought to our attention that an Aster property in the village had been put up for sale, we contacted them immediately and organised a meeting, which took place about two weeks ago.

“They said that it was too late to stop the sale going through, and told us that it hadn’t been cost effective to repair the property to let it out again.

“Aster has told us that if any more of their homes in the parish get to the point where they are considering a sale, they will contact us so that we can put them in touch with the Corfe Castle Charity or the Corfe Castle Land Trust, who may have the ability to buy them.

“In short, although we were too late to do anything about the current Aster home for sale, hopefully moving forward we could help to facilitate a better outcome.”

A spokesperson from Dorset Council said:

“We meet regularly with our registered providers, including Aster and will raise this specific issue with them.

“It’s disappointing as we know that there are 13 households on our housing register with a local connection to Corfe Castle and two of these require a three-bedroom property.

“The total households on the housing register is – 6447, of these 847 households are in the Purbeck area.”

Further information

  • A national Stop Aster Housing Association Selling Housing Stock protest page is on Change.org
  • The Action Against Aster – Stop selling houses Facebook group set up by Rachel Fooks is gathering pace
  • The Halves Cottage property is advertised on Rightmove
  • Dorset Council housing advice
  • New Dorset Council hotline for help with housing 01305 221000

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