Working in tandem

Community Land Trusts came about through the 2008 Housing and Regeneration Act. They aim to provide land in perpetuity for the benefit of the community. Hitherto, all successful CLTs have been in rural areas, have been very small and have tended to rely heavily on the generosity of a landowner.

The first urban CLT has yet to start - a few embryos have emerged but have yet to achieve the funding needed for them to develop. In high cost areas such as London, building a sizeable scheme for a specific community with a mix of social and sub-market rent and shared ownership/equity (and where there is a limit on staircasing), does have its attractions. The scheme will be affordable for the future and its members will have a real commitment to make it work.

London Community Clusters is a case in point. Targeted at Hackney’s orthodox Jewish community, it is looking to become one of the first CLTs, building clusters of accommodation within a large regeneration project. The orthodox Jewish community numbers 25,000 in Hackney and Haringey and will double in size in 16 years. It has a clear need for affordable housing. Those living and working within the boundaries of the CLT will be able to elect a board along with other community representatives and housing experts. The board will manage the scheme although it may delegate some responsibilities to a professional manager.

Its legal format - probably a charitable industrial and provident society - and its rules are ideal for close-knit groups, whether they are religious, ethnic, cultural or political. What they will have in common is a desire to live in the same community, observe specific rituals or rules and share educational facilities; they have a connection. Anyone who has observed the orthodox Jewish and Muslim communities of Hackney will recognise what this means.

Urban and rural CLTs have all-party political support. In today’s world, politicians are quick to grasp the value of cohesive and supportive communities; crime is less and the community rallies round to solve problems - very attractive at a time when local government agencies are facing a squeeze. They are bottom up, not top down.

The Homes and Communities Agency needs to allocate specific funding for such community schemes which should be a feature of major regeneration projects. In the longer term, their capital cost per unit will go down as the land is held in perpetuity and the strength of the community glue ensures that the burden on their local authority is less than in non-CLT projects. It is an idea whose time has come.

David Levenson is chair of London Community Clusters