Projects
COMMUNITY LED AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS
Land for People is a not-for-profit company with charitable objects. We work with communities in Wales and the Marches, with an emphasis on building affordable homes for local people, on land held in trust. Our objectives are to:
- Enable communities to build affordable housing
- Promote active citizenship through regeneration and development of their community
The company has a strong board of Directors who have extensive experience and expertise in the fields of business, community development, banking and research. We are collaborating with the communities of Ceinws, Castle Caereinion, Pantydwr Llanfyllin and Llanbedr in Powys and Bishops Castle in Shropshire to tackle the acute shortage of affordable housing at local level, and providing practical ways for local people to get involved in getting more affordable homes built.
Community Land Trusts
A CLT is a community controlled organisation that owns, develops and manages land and buildings for the benefit of the local community. By separating the value of land from the buildings that stand upon it, the CLT can be used to preserve the value of any public and private investment, as well as planning gain and land appreciation, for long-term community benefit. Most community land trusts will be societies for the benefit of the community, a form of Industrial and Provident Society, which are regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Several new projects and initiatives using this model are currently being developed across the UK, and Land for People is part of this informal network.
Getting more affordable homes built
Land for People receives grant aid from Powys County Council, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Waterloo Foundation towards the cost of delivering three pilot community-led affordable housing schemes in Powys, which between them will deliver 20 units of housing). We are assist by:
- Undertaking housing needs surveys for them
- Registering them as Community Land Trusts
- Organising training events
- Developing the projects in consultation with the planners, landowners, highways architects and other stakeholders
- Putting them in touch with other CLT projects in other parts of the UK
