community led housing london

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Phoenix Place Coproduction

We developed a model for community-led decision-making to build trust and a positive working relationship between CDS Co-operatives and residents at Phoenix Place, helped deliver improvements to green spaces as a way to bring people together and build community on the estate.

Working in Coproduction
This project trialed a new way for CDS Co-operatives to relate to its residents in order to improve outcomes for everyone involved. CDS residents and staff were supported by CLH London to work together to make decisions on the future of the estate, through a process known as coproduction – “a relationship where professionals and citizens share power to plan and deliver support [or services] together, recognising that both have vital contributions to make.” Central to the project was the establishment of a resident panel that was tasked with advising CDS on the improvements to be made to the estate. The panel was selected to ensure representation of the wider estate on identifiers such as age, gender, tenure and where they live on the estate. Typically, the panel would be selected at random and then disbanded after the project. In this case however, additional participants were invited to join a pre-existing group.

Outcomes
Throughout the process the resident panel were supported to make informed decisions on what improvements to make and who would be best placed to carry them out. This support included facilitated workshops to identify and prioritise collective needs and ambitions, as well as helping to understand detailed information on budgets, service charges, health and safety etc. As a result, a set of clear, achievable actions were proposed.

In addition to the Action Plan, a number of unintended outcomes resulted from the project. These include:

  • Improved relationships:  Better relationships between CDS staff and residents.
  • Shared responsibilities: Collaboration between residents, CDS staff and external contractors has led to a sharing of responsibilities in areas such as maintenance of plants and shrubs and access to the shared gardens. Any efficiencies depend on sustained voluntary commitment of residents.
  • Increased awareness: In designing proposals that were realistic and achievable, residents gained new knowledge on issues such as services charges, maintenance budgets, statutory requirements and health & safety. This enables them to collaborate effectively with staff and contractors and to better understand and contribute to future decision-making.
  • Phoenix Place Green Spaces Group: A volunteer group of residents have taken on responsibility for implementing and maintaining improvements to green spaces and supporting other residents to get involved.

The Nevill Community

An exciting opportunity to move into an urban cohousing project in Stoke Newington, which is evolving to accommodate new members

The Nevill is a former pub which was converted into a 9-bedroom communal house in 1991. It hosts a small community of various ages and backgrounds, and has lots of communal spaces.

We’ve discussed how the group could evolve into a more sustainable structure, which would allow the restoration of the building, and to welcome more co-inhabitants. They aim to live in a close community sharing values of mutual care, sustainable living, respect and participation.

There is planning permission for the rebuilding of the roof, including an extension, and they are working on a second planning application to create 5 independent flats and extensive shared spaces:

  • two 1 bedroom flats on the ground floor aimed at older people, each including a private outdoor space,
  • two 3 bedroom flats on the 1st and 2nd floors (including private outdoor space), and
  • one 1 bedroom flat on the 3rd floor.
  • on the ground floor, a communal entrance gives access to shared outdoor space including bike storage, and a flexible shared communal space including a kitchen.
  • in the basement, some storage, a shared workshop and a potential shared guest room.

The building is owned freehold by the group, and the future cohousing structure is currently being evaluated by solicitors.

The group are currently looking for people interested in joining this new phase of community living, and purchasing two of the flats (a 3 bed and a 1 bed on the upper floors).

 Register your interest on their form

East Wick Sweetwater

An opportunity for a community led housing organisation to deliver 16 affordable homes within the Hackney Wick town centre boundary as part of the East Wick neighbourhood in Hackney.

East Wick + Sweetwater Projects (EW+S) is the development partner for the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), delivering over 1,850 new homes across 7 phases, on the western edge of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the wider Legacy Community Scheme. This community led opportunity already has outline permission for 16 homes and two non-residential units, and forms part of the 34% of affordable homes on the site.

 Visit the EW+S website for further information on the opportunity and the Expression of Interest form.

Gida Housing Co-op

Gida Housing Co-operative was incorporated 2021 in direct response to the poor quality of private rented housing experienced by black and minoritised communities in Tottenham and across London, both in terms of affordability and lack of influence over management and maintenance of their homes.

Gida is the Hausa word for ‘home’ and was birthed from the Ubele Initiative as part of their commitment to Community Wealth Building. The Ubele Initiative is a community organisation which plays a strategic role in supporting Black and Minoritized communities, with long standing commitments in Haringey.

Gida Housing Co-op aims to become an affordable housing provider which empowers under-represented communities and builds social value, by giving people influence and collective control over the management and maintenance of their own homes, as a response to the poor quality and insecure private rented housing many have had to endure. Gida’s values are aligned with Cooperative values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and unity.

Gida is initially focused on the St Ann’s Hospital site with a view to ensuring homes and community spaces create a sense of community for the long term.

How we’re helping
We have supported work on governance, housing allocations, and financial appraisals.

 Visit their website

Felixstowe Road

The Royal Borough of Greenwich released the Felixstowe Road site in Abbey Wood specifically for Community Land Trusts.

Greenwich join a string of boroughs including Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Croydon, and Camden in creating opportunities for community led housing, with several others working on individual schemes.

Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Anthony Okereke said “this initiative is part of our pledge to use innovative approaches to develop affordable housing in perpetuity for the borough’s residents and create sustainable communities”.

Greenwich Citizens Housing and London CLT were successful in being selected with designs consisting of 12 homes, including 6 two-storey houses flanked by two three-storey blocks of flats. Every home has a front door onto a pedestrianised ‘play street’.
They also secured the Susan Road sites in Kidbrooke.

How we’re helping
We supported two groups in preparing proposals for the council, and are funding London CLT to progress a planning application with Archio.

 
 Visit their website