Community Land Trusts
Housing is currently a key policy issue, with affordability reaching a crisis and 5 million new homes needed by 2027. In some rural areas of the country, house prices are over 10 times average incomes. Community Land Trusts (CLTs) offer an innovative solution by transferring the ownership of land to communities, so that house buyers pay only for the build costs. Any increase in land value is captured and used for the good of the community.
In 2005 CFS, in conjunction with the new economics foundation (nef), conducted a research project for the Countryside Agency called Capturing Value for Rural Communities, which brought renewed attention to the CLT model. There was a need to explore further how the CLT model, which has precedents in England (Letchworth Garden City), Scotland (Isle of Eigg, South Uist etc) and the US (over 200 CLTs), could be replicated to provide a solution to the affordable housing crisis.
CFS is currently assisting 14 groups around the country to set up Community Land Trusts for the provision of affordable housing, as part of a pilot demonstration programme funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Housing Corporation and Carnegie UK Trust. The programme will produce a range of tools for housing associations and community groups who wish to assist or establish a CLT. The lessons from these pilots will be captured in a number of case studies, which will be published on the CLT website portal (see www.communitylandtrust.org.uk) late in 2008.
Other work around CLTs which CFS is involved in:
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managing and developing an online networking portal for CLT practitioners (Follow this link to visit the CLT networking portal http://talk.communitylandtrust.org.uk)
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promoting a National Facilitation Fund for CLTs
- establishing a legal definition for CLTs
Community Land Trusts
A Community Land Trust is a mechanism for the democratic ownership of land by the local community. Land is taken out of the market and separated from its productive use so that the impact of land appreciation is removed, therefore enabling long-term affordable and sustainable local development.
CFS maintains a website to help anyone developing a Community Land Trust for affordable housing, amenity and workspace in Britain.
Visit www.communitylandtrust.org.uk for further information and resources on the CLT model