Put communities in charge of New Town homes, say housing leaders

Prominent voices from across the housing and political spectrum have called on the government to embed community land trusts (CLTs) into New Town plans.

The Housing Innovation Forum*, which includes the 38,000-home housing association Aster Group, Morecambe and Lunesdale MP Lizzi Collinge and the CLT Network – a national body overseeing community-led development – is calling for a government policy requiring every New Town to deliver at least 100 homes through a community land trust (CLT) established by the existing local community.

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

Polling by YouGov and the RTPI shows strong public appetite for community-led development. Four in five (82%) want New Towns built by a mix of providers, including community groups. But nearly three-quarters (73%) aren’t confident New Towns will reflect their community’s needs.

With the New Towns Taskforce having announced the locations of its first tranche of New Towns, Bjorn Howard, Group CEO at Aster Group, said: “If New Towns are to succeed, they need more than bricks and mortar – they need buy-in. CLTs give communities control over housing and infrastructure decisions, building homes that are locally needed, permanently affordable, and backed by those who live nearby.

“Without this approach, New Towns risk being derailed by public objections and stalled planning processes. Instead, we need to give communities real ownership over outcomes and involve them in the development process. That’s how you deliver places where people can afford and want to live.”

The call is backed by political and housing leaders including Lizzi Collinge MP; Tom Chance, CEO of the Community Land Trust Network; and Steve Watson, the Director of Middlemarch – a community interest company which helps communities to start and navigate CLTs. Meanwhile Alistair Smyth, Policy Director at the National Housing Federation, said that CLTs can play an important role in new developments by enabling community stewardship, involving residents in decision-making and ensuring housing is affordable in perpetuity.

Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, said: “Done well, community involvement is a fantastic enabler of housing development. CLTs empower people to help shape and support new homes. What I've seen is that very early-stage engagement really helps, especially if you're showing that you understand people's real housing needs.”

The group is also urging the government to earmark a share of Social and Affordable Homes Programme funding for CLT delivery and to prioritise schemes with CLT backing in planning approvals. They say this will not only fast-track development but ensure long-term stewardship of vital community assets.

Tom Chance, CEO of the CLT Network, said: “CLTs can move faster and build smarter because the community is already on board. We’ve seen them work in both rural and urban areas across the country. Now it’s time to scale up that success.

“Given the right legislative framework, CLTs have the potential to deliver beyond just homes. There are already community-led projects building the amenities that make a thriving community, like parks and leisure centres – apply to them the scale and government backing of the New Towns programme, and they could be transformational for placemaking in Britain.

“We want the government to see our policy proposal – delivering 100 CLT homes per New Towns – as a starting point. What’s exciting is the potential to go much further and, our modelling suggests that as much as 10% of the New Towns housing programme could be delivered through CLTs.”

Aster is the leading UK housing association provider of CLT partnership and together with its partners, is on track to deliver 244 CLT homes, supporting schemes that go beyond housing. The CLTs have also gone on to deliver a range of new local amenities, as well as housing, including post offices, fire stations and public green spaces.

Case Study – Chagford CLT, Devon

Chagford Community Land Trust (CLT) partnered with Aster Group to deliver 28 new affordable homes in the heart of Dartmoor National Park. The homes at Bellacouch Meadows offer a mix of one-bedroom flats and two- and three-bedroom houses and have enabled local people to remain rooted in their community, close to family, friends and essential support networks.

It is one of the UK’s first Section 106 CLT schemes – a model where a CLT partners with a housing association to purchase the affordable homes from a larger mixed-tenure development.

The affordable housing forms part of a larger 93-home development which includes a new public car park, fire station and business units.

Rebecca Potter, a Chagford CLT resident, said: “Being able to live in an affordable home in Chagford is great – I’m not struggling financially, I’m not worried about how I’m going to pay my rent. It means that I can stay close to my family and friends, work locally, and still be part of my community.”