Past projects
Investing in People and Land (funded by Countryside Agency)
This research examined financial and social exclusion in rural areas and how it could be tackled through Community and Asset Reinvestment Trusts. We contracted researchers to conduct interviews with various rural agencies, credit unions, housing associations and other local public sector bodies. We found that rural areas face similar problems to urban areas in terms of credit need, and showed how work we had previously undertaken in urban areas could be adapted to tackle the needs of rural areas. The research produced a number of proposals for setting up a new form of Community Based Financial Institution in rural areas, known as Community and Asset Reinvestment Trusts.
Capturing Value for Rural Communities (funded by Countryside Agency and the Housing Corporation, in partnership with the new economics foundation)
Drawing on our expertise and experience in community development and housing, we conducted a series of case studies of the Community Land Trust (CLT) model in the UK. Based on these detailed case studies of existing projects and organisations, we developed business plans and governance models for CLTs. One of the key end-products was a toolkit detailing legal structures and models, including analysis of tax and benefit implications, model leases, company structures and re-sale formulae for housing and workspace enabling occupiers to realise their investment while retaining the value of the land for community benefit. Through the launch of the toolkit at a CLT conference sponsored by New Start magazine in 2007, the research project brought renewed attention to the CLT model.