RESIDENTS in a small Cornish village are in a race against time to raise funds to buy land so more affordable housing can be built for local people.

The villagers in St Ewe, south of St Austell, have set a target of raising £40,000 by Sunday, December 15.

They want to enable St Ewe Affordable Homes, a community land trust, to buy land in the village that has been put on the market by the Diocese of Truro.

The villagers, who say there is an extremely short deadline in place for offers to be submitted, have made a community video explaining why that have launched a fundraising bid.

If they can buy the land, St Ewe Affordable Homes has plans to build four affordable homes for local people.

A spokesperson for the campaign said: “With a very tight deadline, this local community is Crowdfunding, fearing the opportunity to build genuinely affordable homes could be lost forever, as competing bidders are unlikely to have the community’s best interests at heart.

“The UK has a huge housing crisis and nowhere is this more visible than in Cornwall where the average house price is more than nine times a young person’s wage.

“Without young people and families, there is no-one to work in shops and restaurants and we have no key workers for education or healthcare. Local communities thrive when local people can afford to live in them and this village is trying to assure their future.

“St Ewe is a small village with a vibrant local community that wants to be able to house local people into the future.

“The land we want to buy is part of ancient glebe land owned by the Diocese of Truro. This is currently being publicly offered for sale. The village’s bid for the land will keep it safe from the ever-present threat of property developers who are likely to prioritise yet more second homes, holiday lets and inappropriate development.

“The race is on to gather enough money to purchase the land. We have some money already saved and we are hoping to be able to get more money in grants and loans. A Crowdfunder campaign has been launched to get as good a bid together as we can in a short space of time.

“The plan, if we can buy the land, is to build four affordable homes. It is likely that the majority of the homes will be for rent. The houses we build will be owned by the community for the community. They will stay affordable forever and will always prioritise local people which is critical for the future health of this community.

“In 2008, St Ewe Affordable Homes built six affordable homes on land previously owned by the diocese adjacent to the land we are hoping to buy. These houses have been a huge success. They were built to be environmentally-friendly, they are powered by solar panels and house six local families.”

Donations can be made at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/st-ewe-affordable-homes