Community-led housing solutions can take many forms including cohousing, co-operatives, community land trusts, and intentional communities. There are over 1,330 established community-led housing projects in the UK across these different models. However, barriers to growth include a lack of tailored finance options, low public awareness, and the difficulty of starting from scratch with limited resources. Opportunities for expanding community-led housing include tailoring solutions to local needs, gaining support from local authorities, replicating successful off-the-shelf models, and taking advantage of policies that empower localism.

1. web: cohousing.org.uk
email: Jo@Cohousing.org.uk tel: 07572 155173
Community DIY Housing Solutions
1. What’s it about
2. Overview in numbers
3. A few barriers
4. What are the opportunities
HACT /Locality Community Led Housing ‘Learning from
Experience’. York. 17th Feb 2015.

2. Local solutions, local issues

3. Established CLH Projects
Intentional
community/l
ow
impact/Eco?
Housing Charities
1,330
Registered Providers
1,087 (stock less 250)
Almshouses
1,669
CLT’s
19
Tennant Management
Org’s 182
Co-operatives
736
Development
Trust’s
29
Self Help Housing
113
Community
Land Trusts
19
Cohousing
18
Gateways
6

4. Barriers
• You & me
• Monopoly house builders
• Finance not tailored
• Low public awareness
• Poor start up resources- its hard work
• Improve evidence base

5. Opportunities
• The offer is extensive & unique to each area
• Easier to do in the North
• Can be a viable community enterprise
• Local authority support
• Off shelf models – replicate
• Localism Act & NPPF
• Stand up & campaign