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Grassroots group priced out of once-derelict building it rescued in 2011

To the people who use it, Marsh House is a vital resource. But with public funds scarce, its future is now in doubt

By Anita Mureithi
Grassroots group priced out of once-derelict building it rescued in 2011
Community action saved Marsh House after years of institutional neglect - openDemocracy
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A grassroots community group for people in Luton is being priced out of the building it rescued from dereliction more than a decade ago.

Marsh House, a former farmhouse on Luton’s Marsh Farm estate, was facing demolition by Luton Borough Council before neighbours took repairs into their own hands.

Marsh Farm Outreach (MFO), a grassroots community group, took over the site in 2011. Organisers initially struck a ‘rent earned’ agreement with Luton Borough Council, meaning the council would pay to fix a dry rot problem while volunteers would cover the resources and labour needed to restore the rest of the building without paying any additional rent.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0