People power will help residents of a Shropshire town who cannot afford to buy a home.

The newly formed Bishop’s Castle Community Land Trust hopes to tackle the town’s housing shortage by building affordable properties.

The organisation, which formed in June, has 70 members and is hoping to get more recruits.

It will buy affordable plots of land from farmers and estates, so new properties can be built for people who cannot afford to get on the housing ladder.

Town councillor Jim Gaffney, who supports the trust, said he was delighted so many people had come forward to register an interest.

“The trust now has more than 70 people who are interested in our aims,” he said. “It wants to develop affordable housing for people in the town who cannot get on to the property ladder.

“We hope to have our first properties built within the next two years.”

Mr Gaffney said more recruits were required to help the organisation – who could work to get affordable properties built.

The trust is being helped by Phil Newcombe, a project development worker for affordable eco-housing in Shropshire. Returns will be reinvested into meeting community needs.

The trust was formed following a survey, which showed 70 per cent of people could not afford a two-bedroom house in the town.