Recently called the future of social housing, Community Land Trusts and the wider community led housing movement are delivering significant economic, social and environmental benefits.
New comprehensive analysis of CLTs published by the National CLT Network shows the growing impact of the movement and the scale of the market opportunities opening up across England and Wales.
Covering a 12-year period, the report shows that more communities across England and Wales are turning to CLTs as a way to build much-needed high-quality housing in their neighbourhoods.
Some key findings:
- There are more active CLTs than ever before. From 20 pioneering groups in 2008 to 347 in 2020.
- CLTs exist where they are most needed — they tend to be located in the most unaffordable areas of the most unaffordable regions and in the most deprived areas of the most deprived regions.
- The trajectory of homes being delivered is strong. In 2008 CLTs had built 79 homes, the current number of CLT homes is 1,062 and there are plans for 6,969 CLT homes to be built or refurbished over the next five years.
Coronavirus has highlighted the seriousness of unsuitable and insecure housing. Conditions need to improve and with new housing construction expected to play a major role in the country’s economic recovery, CLTs are poised and ready to play their part too.
The National CLT Network is calling for the government, lenders, landowners and developers to back community led housing and help CLTs to become a mainstream housing market.
You can read the full report here.
Tom Chance, joint chief executive of the National CLT Network, said:
“In just over ten years we’ve seen a handful of pioneering community groups become a niche housing market. As our report shows CLTs are developing quality, affordable housing in the areas where they are most needed. But more can be done and as Covid-19 has shown, desperately needs to be done.
“As the sector looks to mainstream the community ownership of housing and land we need the support of government and lenders. Together we can build a mainstream market that delivers.”