Our chief executive, Tom, introduces a new report which draws on lessons learned from 5 case studies exploring how and why community-led stewardship can be incorporated into planning, developing and managing affordable homes, community facilities and utilities on new large housing developments. This report explores the multiple benefits of this alternative to private management companies, as well as recommendations and models that can be adopted in practice to create better homes and places for communities and people to thrive.
Featured image: London CLT, ‘Oranges and lemons, we love St Clements’ action at the John Denham Building at St Clements, March 2019
If the government wants to build 1.5 million homes, there will be a lot of new parks, playgrounds, community centres, shops and other assets that need to be looked after.
Councils used to take these on, but today are reluctant and in 2024 the Competition Markets Authority found around 90% are going into private management companies. Sometimes these are controlled by residents, often they aren’t. The CMA decided that the problems they created for consumers were so bad that they should be banned. This still leaves as many as 1.75 million residents in homes built in recent years stuck with the problems.
The government has pledged to end ‘fleecehold’ charges and tackle this issue, but hasn’t yet set out any concrete plans.
Today we are publishing research advocating a community-led alternative. Based on comparative learning from five case studies and industry interviews, it recommends that community-led place stewardship should be incorporated into the planning, procurement, development and long-term management of new housing developments.
One of these case studies is Kennett Garden Village, where the local CLT is playing a key role. They sat at the table with the landowner as a client, rather than consultee, in the masterplan. They sit on the project board with the landowner, developer and council, overseeing the build-out and holding the developer to planning commitments. As the development is completed they will take ownership of 60 affordable homes and all of the open space, commercial units and community amenities.
Another is London CLT’s role at St Clements, a regeneration project in the east end of London. Here the CLT shaped the masterplan with wide and deep community engagement, and bought 23 of the homes. Their residents then played a leading role in establishing the resident management company for the whole site, and animating community life.
These, and three other case studies, illustrate that communities can take ownership of new developments. Indeed, this takes us back to the roots of the CLT model in the original garden cities, where CLT-like structures owned the land under entire places like Letchworth.
The report draws the research together into practical recommendations for communities, councils, landowners, developers and other practitioners. It shows, on a timeline that can span 20+ years, how any of those stakeholders can play the leading role in incorporating community-led place stewardship into new developments.
We have recently advised several landowners and developers on implementing this with the CLT structure, which is recognised in UK property law and planning policy. Get in touch if you’d like to explore this with us.
This report is researched, created and launched in partnership with the Laudes Foundation, the European CLT Network and Dark Matter Labs.