community led housing london

current

Cable Street

London CLT secured the site through the GLA’s Small Sites Small Builders programme, to deliver affordable homes linked to local incomes, following local organising and membership building around the site.

The local group drew up a brief together, with a vision for the site, and used this to tender for an architect. Nearly fifty people cast their vote for one of four shortlisted architects they wanted to work with to design the homes.

How we’re helping
We supported legal work to finalise a funding agreement with the Greater London Authority.

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Forest CLT

Forest CLT are a group of families and individuals working to create affordable housing for residents of E10, E11 and E17.

Forest CLT was founded by local residents in 2018 with the mission of creating truly affordable, community-led housing and sustainable communities in Waltham Forest.

They have a growing membership of over 100 local people, many of whom have children in local schools. Their membership includes social and affordable housing tenants, private renters, owner-occupiers and people living with family or unable to have a place of their own.

They are aiming to develop a comprehensive scheme to fulfil the CLT’s three main objectives:

  1. Build 100% affordable homes, protected in perpetuity
  2. Build a shared community hub to promote neighbourliness
  3. Build sustainably by sourcing energy efficient, sustainable, local resources

Forest CLT held their first AGM in November 2018 where members elected a skilled board made up of local built environment professionals and people involved in local arts and education. They have a growing membership of over 100 local people, many of whom have children in local schools. They are focusing on diversity with a membership including social and affordable housing tenants, private renters, owner-occupiers and people living with family or unable to have a place of their own.
They have a calendar of events that are free to attend including film screenings, co-design sessions and socials.

They are looking to take on the development of a small part of a larger council owned site, which would allow delivery alongside the council’s development partner. Discussions with the Council are ongoing and the CLT has responded to council requests for greater density, revising proposals up to 75 units with a range of affordable tenures and including social infrastructure.

How we’re helping
We helped Forest CLT incorporate as a Community Benefit Society with the FCA, and helped them arrange training for board members. We have allocated funding for capacity studies, co-design sessions and financial modelling. We have also advised on land transfer options and mechanisms.

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E16 CLT

E16 CLT was founded in 2018 by the People’s Empowerment Alliance for Custom House (PEACH) as a resident-led response to the stalled regeneration of the area.

PEACH was set up by residents from the schools, churches, streets and clubs of Custom House to support each other, build strength and have a say over decisions which affect the community. It is part of the Big Local programme. Members voted on PEACH priorities include Jobs, Housing, Safety, and Health.

Following residents’ concerns over the management of “temporary” homes, PEACH helped to stop evictions and improve living conditions for private and council tenants in the area. Residents felt that the regeneration of the area needed to be led by the community and began to develop an ‘Alternative Regeneration Plan’. It involved a year long period of engagement and listening process with a team of community organisers, architects, and local residents in training. They knocked on over 1,000 doors to have 150 in-depth conversations and held 10 workshops with 170 people. They developed principles for regeneration in their local community, including genuine affordability – that new housing, shops, and services should be linked to local wages/income, and not to market price. The phased community led masterplan sought to increase the 560 homes in the area to 2000, with residents only having to move once.

To meet the need for genuinely affordable homes managed by the community for the community, PEACH founded the E16 Community Land Trust. The CLT now has a full board and a growing membership of at least 175 members from the local area. Elected Community Representatives are taking an active role in the coproduction of design, viability and planning work of the first phases of the masterplan with council officers.

How we’re helping
We supported the CLT commission feasibility work to build homes on two sites the CLT had identified in the next phases of the masterplan. Although the council was initially supportive of proposals, these sites turned out to be unworkable. We subsequently supported E16 CLT to explore partnership options which secure permeant CLT affordability within council developed sites, and have more recently identified two promising smaller sites in E16.

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NW3 CLT

A group of local residents looking to provide permanently affordable key worker housing in Hampstead.

NW3 is a high-value area in LB Camden, home to the Royal Free Hospital, over 50 schools and many small businesses. With house prices growing rapidly it has become increasingly difficult for many people, and key workers in particular, to find affordable housing.

Local residents set up NW3 Community Land Trust with an active and skilled board and volunteers hosting regular meetings and open events. The CLT has focused their attentions on an uninhabitable council-owned building. They are seeking to maximise the number of affordable homes in a conservation area, with a mix of tenures aimed at key-workers, social renters, and older downsizers looking for community in a high value area.

How we’re helping
We have worked with NW3 CLT to establish ways of working, focus their search for sites, and offered training workshops. We supported the preparation of financially credible proposals to the council, which were well received by officers and councillors. We are supporting work to finalise the terms of the land transfer, and the project is progressing towards a planning application following a fruitful design review and a series pre-application meetings. We have also engaged with local Registered Providers about taking on landlord responsibilities of rented units.

 
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Clements Road

Redbridge Citizens campaigned for CLT homes in their area. New homes will be taken on by London CLT.

The first scheme at Clements Road in Ilford will be taking 12 intermediate homes linked to local incomes from an 80-unit development by the council’s Redbridge Living company. The local steering group are involved in consultation about the scheme, which was submitted for planning permission. The partnership is set to take on further homes in forthcoming developments.

How we are helping
We will be supporting legal arrangements with leaseholders and resident management.

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