Liberal Democrat councillors very much welcome the discussion in your pages about so-called “pod” housing. We believe it could make a small but significant contribution to Oxford’s housing problem.

The name first. We are talking about well-designed, small residential units, in purpose-built buildings, not outbuildings or sheds.

What developments of this kind offer is a chance for those on average incomes to buy a home. Price is fixed at a certain percentage of local market price, perhaps around £160,000 in Oxford. By covenant, the units can only be bought by individuals or households with an income below a certain multiple of the average. They can only be resold to purchasers who meet the same criteria, and cannot be let. The trade-off is space: the units are small, and will accommodate single-person households or couples, not families.

They will give workers in key roles such as teaching and nursing an alternative to either renting, living outside the city and commuting, or leaving Oxford altogether. They will have less space than the three-bedroom home they might aspire to at a later stage of their career, but more than a shared rented house which is otherwise their only option.

Purchasers can build up equity, and realise it when they move on. Developers, either social enterprises such as Oxford Ventures or others, can make a return because there is a genuine market need to be met. Not least, some council tenants unable to buy at current market prices may be able to afford such a starter home, thereby vacating a much-needed small social property.

This is not the only solution. It has to be part of a mix. It will suit only a particular type of homeowner. But schemes like this work. They reduce commuting times, give people a foot on the housing ladder and add options to the market. They require bold thinking and new approaches.

That’s what Oxford needs.

ANDREW GANT
Liberal Democrat city councillor for Summertown