POSTMAN Richard Hartle was so frustrated at not being able to buy a house in his home town of Glossop that he and a group of friends decided to become developers themselves and build their own properties.

Four years ago they clubbed together to buy a site in the town centre.

And, this week, they won planning permission to build a terrace of five properties.

Richard and his four friends, all single and aged 24-33, hope that by this time next year they will be living in the two-up two-down houses on Queen Street.

Richard, who had the idea after spotting the land for sale, said: "It has been quite a battle to get this far but really we had no choice.

"House prices in Glossop have risen so fast in the last five years that this is the only way we can afford to have our own houses.

"I have seen terraces for sale in Glossop for é120,000 and I cannot afford that."

Richard, who earns é16,000 a year, saw the land, which is opposite the town's Tesco Store, for sale and came up with the idea of buying it.

Time

Now 33, he said: "In your 20s, you are out having a great time and think there is plenty of time to get on the property ladder. You don't want the responsibility but prices soared and I sort of missed the boat really.

"I saw the land and made enquiries about buying it but there is a moratorium in the area which meant no more new build.

"So it has taken all this time to get planning permission. Over the years people have come in to the group and dropped out.

"Things happen, circumstances change but I have always found others to fill their places and I have stuck with it because there is no other option available.

"We are all on low incomes and find it impossible to get a foot on the property ladder, which is due to the high cost of housing in the area."

Despite objections from some local people, who claimed the terrace would be too close to other housing, the group managed to persuade planners to approve their plans in return for complying with strict conditions.

They all have to live or work in High Peak, cannot not to sell or let any of the homes within five years, unless there are extenuating circumstances and, after that, the houses can only be sold at no more than 75 per cent of their market value to keep them affordable to local people.

Nerve-wracking

Richard said: "I had to speak at the planning meeting which was incredibly nerve-wracking but I feel so strongly about this.

"We are not trying to make money, we just want to live in our own houses in our own town. We don't really want to be developers but we found it impossible to get a foot on the property ladder here any other way."

The council also told the group that the five houses must be built in stone with blue slate roofs. These materials are more expensive and will add cost to the building estimates.

The houses have been designed by architects at Glossop-based Planmart and local builder Tony Makin, of Hadfield, is lined up to start work on the brownfield site.

The team calculate that each house will cost é60,000-é65,000, including the cost of the land, and they are talking to banks to get funding.

Richard said: "There are a few more hurdles to cross yet but the big one was getting permission.

"Now we can start and it is great to think that after living at home for so long I will soon have a place of my own.

"You are limited with what you can do with a two-up, two-down house but I think we are planning something slightly different inside.

Radical

"I don't think I have been radical or anything. It does not seem fair that people should have to move out of the area where they were born to find cheaper housing elsewhere. I just don't think we had much choice - it was a last resort for us."

Terraces on Queen Street sell for more than é100,000, according to www.housepricereports.com meaning that Richard and his pals will have got a property bargain if the build stays on budget.

It also shows that up to March 2005 properties priced between é75,000-é100,000 - and generally regarded as a first step onto the ladder - made up 26 per cent of the local market but that has halved to 13 per cent in the last 12 months showing how prices have escalated there.

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