Lewisham Council's plans for self-build houses in London have drawn comparisons to a successful self-build scheme in the borough from the 1970s. This earlier initiative, proposed by Lewisham council architect Brian Richardson, used methods developed by German architect Walter Segal.
The 1970s scheme offered people on the council house waiting list materials and advice to build their own homes. Participants, who initially had no building skills, worked evenings and weekends to construct their houses and foster a community.
While such schemes may not replace established affordable housing delivery, and challenges with building costs, funding, planning, and delivery remain, they could offer a practical way to enable smaller, community-led projects. Reducing land costs, rather than increasing development value, is noted as a way to improve viability.