Swanage Community Housing newsletter April 2022

Firstly, thank you for your continued support, we are still at the early stages of our journey but can report so far that:

Since the public meeting at the beginning of November 2021, a group of enthusiastic supporters have met and agreed to work together to take forward the shared vision of affordable housing in Swanage.

In addition to the usual offices of Finance and Company Secretary, the work has been divided into three areas, Development, Community Engagement and Web Site development. With the help of Mark Carey, of Morgan Carey Architects, we are analysing the sites that have been suggested by Swanage Town Council to establish which might offer the best opportunity for social housing.

Once our bank account has been opened and we have the received the grant promised from Dorset Council, we will then be able to progress to a more detailed feasibility.

We have been hugely encouraged by the general enthusiasm and support of the community and now have nearly 50 members!

CLT Network reports 'strong levels of Local Authority support' for community led housing

New research carried out by the Community Land Trust Network reveals the strong levels of local authority support for community led housing development in England and Wales in the form of policies, grants and loans and land disposals and leases.

The research found:

• One in two councils who responded are actively supporting community led housing, with a slight rise in the number giving high levels of support

• The share of councils with policies supportive of community led housing more than doubled from 2019 to 2022, now up to more than 1 in 3 who responded.

• The percentage of councils who have awarded grants or loans to community led housing groups has more than doubled since 2019, now up to 2 in 3 who responded. The overall number of grants and loans councils awarded to community led housing groups has significantly increased since 2019, up from 259 to 946, a 265% increase.

• The percentage of councils who have disposed of or leased land to community led housing projects has grown massively since 2019, up from just 11% to 65% of councils who responded

The support of local authorities is essential for community led housing groups to access funding, planning permissions and land disposals to progress their projects. These results make it clear that local government support for the community led housing movement is gaining ground. This growth in support is thanks to the community led housing groups across England and Wales, including CLTs, who’ve built strong working relationships with their councils and raised the profile of community led housing as a viable route for delivering much-needed affordable housing.

https://www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk/news-and-events/strong-council-support-for-community-led-housing-2022-foi/

how much affordable housing is needed?

Below is a summary of the full report by the House of Commons Library

https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7671/CBP-7671.pdf

'It’s difficult to put a precise number on the amount of new housing needed in England.

Need for new housing arises when population growth leads to new households forming, but other factors also have an effect. There’s a backlog of need among people currently living in unsuitable accommodation, and affordability pressures can prevent people accessing the housing they need. According to one estimate commissioned by the National Housing Federation (NHF) and Crisis from Heriot-Watt University, around 340,000 new homes need to be supplied in England each year, of which 145,000 should be affordable.

When people are unable to access suitable housing it can result in overcrowding, more young people living with their parents for longer, impaired labour mobility, which makes it harder for businesses to recruit staff, and increased levels of homelessness.'