Aster Group announces new CLT developments ahead of record delivery milestone

Housing association Aster Group is on track to exceed delivery of 200 Community Land Trust (CLT) homes, following the exchange of contracts on several CLT schemes. The latest, a 27-home energy-efficient scheme in Arundel, West Sussex marks a significant milestone — delivering the town’s largest boost in affordable housing in decades.

In addition, Aster has broken ground with Transition Homes CLT in Devon (39 energy performance certificate A-rated, affordable homes), Longhope CLT in Gloucester (12 affordable homes), and is due to break ground at Chawleigh CLT in Devon (ten new affordable homes) later in the year. East Boro, which is part of the Aster Group, has also recently handed over the first three of nine energy-efficient homes on Portland’s first-ever CLT development.

These new schemes will take the number of CLT homes delivered, or in progress by Aster and its CLT partners, to 244. This is the highest delivered by any housing association in the UK — firmly establishing Aster as the leading housing association provider of Community Land Trust partnerships.

CLTs are non-profit organisations run by local people, that own, develop and maintain land for the benefit of the community. They typically provide affordable homes, community gardens and buildings, energy schemes and conservation projects. 

Aster builds homes on behalf of CLTs, handing them over into trust ownership once they are complete and providing support managing affordable and social rent, and shared ownership, properties.

Amanda Williams, Chief Investment Officer at Aster Group, said: “We’ve long been a proponent of CLTs becoming a more widely used method for affordable housing delivery. Not only are they an incredibly effective tool to maximise land usage – which can be a significant benefit in rural areas – but by giving local people ultimate control of the housing and amenities they want to see delivered, it can ensure that communities are enhanced, not diminished by development. 

“Meeting the government’s ambitious housing targets will require innovation, forward-thinking and bold ideas. Steps to raise awareness of CLTs and the benefits that they can bring – such as mandating that a percentage of housing in any large-scale development must be owned by a CLT – would go a long way towards creating housing stock that truly meets the needs of the communities it serves.”

Aster is also a leading partner of the CLT Network - a national charity and membership body working to make the community ownership of land and affordable housing commonplace.

Tom Chance, Chief Executive at the Community Land Trust Network, said: "Rural communities see the need for affordable homes, and are able to take the initiative through Community Land Trusts. They're adept at finding the most sensitive and suitable way to build new social housing, and at winning support from neighbours in their community.

“In Aster they have found a fantastic partner, bringing the capability to build and manage the homes in partnership with the local community. Aster's dedicated team has shown a real commitment to getting projects over the line, and valuing the leadership of local people. This milestone means a lot to Aster, and to the volunteers in the local CLTs, but most of all to the people who so urgently need a decent affordable home."

The housing association built close to a thousand homes in the year to the end of March 2025, delivered through a mix of CLTs, S106 and land-led programmes, with shared ownership, social and affordable rent, and open market sale tenures.