What is Community-Led Housing?
Community-Led Housing is a model for creating new homes which are led by the community, for the benefit of the community. This could include a rural market town, village or even a group of residents who want to set up a co-operative housing scheme. Community-Led Housing is not a regular housing development or a housing association scheme with support from a parish council. To be truly community-led, schemes need to involve meaningful community engagement, community ownership and clearly defined community benefit.
Community-Led Housing is defined as follows:
Community Engagement
Meaningful community engagement and consent occur throughout the entire development process. The community does not necessarily have to initiate and manage the process or build the homes themselves, though some may do.
Community Ownership
The local community group or organisation owns, manages or stewards the homes and in a manner of their choosing, and this may be done through a mutually supported arrangement with a Registered Provider that owns the freehold or leasehold for the property
Community Benefit
The benefits to the local area and/or specified community must be clearly defined and legally protected in perpetuity.
Benefits of Community-Led Housing
Everyone needs a place to call home and a lack of housing is an issue for communities throughout Wiltshire and Swindon. Despite this, local people don’t always agree on the type, style and quantity of new homes to be built in their area, or even whether any new homes should be built at all. Community-Led Housing offers a practical solution to these issues, as well as offering a range of benefits including:
Homes that are genuinely affordable to buy or rent.
Homes that benefit people with a connection to the local area.
The right mix of high-quality homes to meet local need.
Environmentally friendly homes which reduce the risk of fuel poverty.
Smaller-scale housing developments.
Homes which are legally protected for future generations.
Types of Community-Led Housing
When it comes to Community-Led Housing, there is no ‘one size fits all’ model. What works well for one community, might not be the right approach for another. There are several different types of Community-Led Housing, some of which are outlined below.
Community Land Trusts
Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are set up and run by people to develop and manage homes as well as other assets. CLTs act as long-term stewards of land and housing. In this model, they may delegate the development work and/or management of the asset to a project partner such as a housing association, or the CLT may become a registered provider themselves.
For more information visit the National CLT Network.
Cohousing
Cohousing communities are intentional communities, created and run by their residents. Each household has a self-contained, private home as well as shared community space. The shared facility may be a large kitchen where group meals are shared or a hall where meetings and classes may be hosted. It can be a communal garden facility.
For more information visit UK Cohousing.
Co-operative Housing
This is a form of Community-Led Housing where homes are built (or renovated) and managed by members of a group who have democratic collective control over the scheme and its management. Unlike some other types of Community-Led Housing, membership is limited strictly to its residents and the community is made up of the people living together.
For more information visit The Confederation of Co-operative Housing.
Community Custom and Self-Build
Community self-build involves groups of local people building homes for themselves with external support and managing the process collectively. Custom build involves a developer who delivers a range of services from a serviced plot to a complete home for an individual or group.
For more information visit the National Custom and Self Build Association.
Community Self-Help Housing
Self-help housing projects involve community organisations bringing empty properties back into use, often with an emphasis on construction skills, training and support. It can include empty homes, as well as changing the use of other non-residential buildings such as redundant shops and offices.
Getting Started with Community-Led Housing
Any group can start a Community-Led Housing scheme and you don’t need to be an expert in construction, architecture or planning. For more information about Community-Led Housing in Wiltshire and Swindon, please get in touch with us for free advice and support. We are here to help.
01380 722475
info@wiltshirecommunityledhousing.org.uk
