community led housing london

Newham

Bow Creek Moorings

A group of boaters, currently using a private marina, setting up co-operative residential moorings to create a secure and sustainable community.

The project will provide safe and secure moorings for up to 10 boats, and bring new life to Bow Creek, helping to revitalise the river, and recognising the vital part it has played in the history of London.
As a co-operative, each boat will have a share in the ownership, management and responsibility for running the site. This will provide control over living and work arrangements and financial stability in contrast to the operation of commercial private marinas.

How we’re helping
We’re supporting negotiations with stakeholders to establish the project.

 Visit their website

Britannia Village Hall

The Britannia Village Hall site is an ageing but popular community centre, nursery, playground and car park managed by the West Silvertown Foundation, a local charity which operates in the Royal Docks.

They are looking into redeveloping the site to provide new facilities for community activities as well as up to 30 homes. This will not only allow local residents to benefit from the provision of updated services but will also help meet the high demand for housing locally.

How we’re helping:
We helped WSF consider viability and development options and an early stage and have supported detailed feasibility and work to ensure they have a developable lease. We have also helped in looking at the options to progress the scheme to planning, and exploring potential partnerships.

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London Filipino Cohousing

A Filipino Community group aiming to build a mixed tenure, intergenerational cohousing community.

The London Filipino Co-Housing Project was initiated in early 2019 by four households from the Filipino community in London.

The project, which is supported by Bahay-Kubo Housing Association and Kanlungan Filipino Consortium, is keen to address the issue of housing affordability which often faces low paid Filipino migrant workers working in the public sector, particularly those employed in health and social care.

How we’re helping:

We have helped to identify a site and have committed a small amount of funding for an initial feasibility study and will be supporting wider business planning.

Bonny Downs Cohousing

A local charity founded by a Baptist church seeking to redevelop their church hall to provide a bespoke space for community activities and affordable housing for those in need.

Bonny Downs Church owns a small, old church hall building which is used for their weekly foodbank, community meal, winter night shelter, and skills courses.

Working in collaboration with the New Way project, their vision is to build an ‘urban abbey’ that will be an intentional community bringing together people from different backgrounds who are committed to sharing life with and supporting one another, united by a common goal of tackling poverty. The ground floor will have community space and a chapel, with housing above. Four to six studio homes will welcome vulnerable single people, who have experienced homelessness, who will stay for an agreed period of supported tenancy, alongside two flats for community workers. A shared kitchen and lounge will facilitate communal living, where residents will regularly prepare and eat meals together. Everyone will help maintain the house and garden together. Residents will also be invited to volunteer at the daytime services for homeless people based on the ground floor. Acting as a therapeutic community, it will be a place to rebuild lives and to foster purpose and belonging.

How we’re helping
We have helped them complete an initial feasibility study on the site, and have supported them to appoint Panter Hudspith as architects to take the project further. Our adviser Andy Redfearn has helped in preparing a planning application, and we have initiated discussions with potential lenders and partners.

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Sycamore Housing

A group living in the private rented sector and working towards a long-term housing solution.

They aim to have secure, affordable homes, combining personal autonomy with communal elements like shared space, decision making and facilities.

Several members are active in housing campaigns such as the London Renters’ Union and are motivated by collective ownership of property, rather than seeing it as an asset. They want to create a future community of 10 households in North East London with a caring and supportive environment and where residents are democratically in control.

They are incorporated as a Mutual Home Ownership Society which allows the accumulation of acquiring equity shares as part of monthly payments.

How we’re helping
We have provided advice and supported incorporation and proposals for sites in LB Waltham Forest.