The houses cannot be sold on the open market

Tony Chart from St Just in Roseland sold about an acre of land for �30,000 to Carrick District Council.

It then granted planning permission for the land, provided all the houses were retained for local people.

Eight three-bed homes worth about �95,000 each will be created in an area where similar homes are about �350,000.

I just did what I thought was a good thing to do Tony Chart

He said: "Most of us were living with our parents or in rented accommodation and we thought that if we could find a farmer to sell us a bit of land, we could build our own homes."

He approached family friend Mr Chart who agreed to sell the land which will be managed by a trust to keep the houses in local ownership.

The land would have been worth about �500,000 with planning permission to sell houses on the open market.

Mr Chart said: "I just did what I thought was a good thing to do.

"I thought these local boys should have houses of their own."

He said a legal system by the Cornwall Rural Housing Association was crucial to the scheme's success.

'Long journey'

Mr Michell, 40, and seven other local people, all involved in the building trade, will be borrowing about �95,000 each to build the houses.

Father-of-two Mr Michell said: "It has been a long journey.

"We were in danger of collapsing two or three times, but this would be wonderful if it started a trend."

Carl Roberts, head of planning at Carrick said: "It's hopefully something we shall see a lot more of.

"I think one of the beauties of this is that local people are taking part in the solution.

"But it does require people like Mr Chart who is looking out for future generations in his area and I take my hat off to him."