Craven offers community-led housing cash

Craven council has become the latest local authority to offer residents funding for community-led housing projects.

The district council said it has received more than £600,000 from the Department for Communities and Local Government’s community housing fund.

The funding can be used to help communities establish themselves as community land trusts, to help with land acquisition and development costs, legal advice and professional fees, feasibility studies, marketing and promotion.

The group must then establish itself as a community land trust, with the help of Craven council.

The trust can then develop a site itself or choose to work with a housing association.

As a trust, the community will be able to have a say on the tenure, size and scale of the homes and who occupies them.

‘We want to put communities in the driving seat and allow local people to have a say in their own housing developments,’ said council leader, Richard Foster.

‘Community-led housing can help keep schools and local facilities open. It can bring new families to villages or provide homes that local households can afford to rent or buy. The community decides on a scheme which suits them best,’ he added.

‘This is a chance for local communities to consider the type of housing they might want to deliver and why, and to think about any suitable sites within their local area.’

Last week, New Start reported East Riding of Yorkshire council has received more than £2m from the same central government fund to help support community-led housing.

The local authority has pledged to make the money available to community groups to investigate the need for community-led housing schemes and draw up plans.

The council has also produced its own community housing fund policy, which outlines the criteria for such projects.