Bringing ‘community’ building into the mainstream : mixing old tenures for a new paradigm

1. ‘New Solutions for Housing and Regeneration’Centre for Housing ResearchUniversity of St Andrews4 July 2013SEMINAR NOTES Bringing ‘community’ building into the mainstream : mixing old tenures for a new paradigm Dr Martin Field Institute for Urban Affairs, University of Northampton martin.field@northampton.ac.uk

2. Prevailing paradigm : ‘individualistic investment’ 1 Paradigmatic features : • Currently @ 69% of UK residential property is owner-occupied • PRS fastest growing sector investment vehicle, but note annual 7 - 10% of ‘self build’ properties as accumulative % of new properties • 85% of respondents still see ‘home ownership’ as prime priority • Less than 10,000 properties ‘co-operatively owned / managed’ from @ 24 million in UK (www.cds.coop) • Approximately 250 properties in Land Trusts – 500+ projects; 200+ Cohousing dwellings. • ‘Housing’ happens wherever we build it….. • We can build it if you invest in us….. • You can invest in us if you believe in us ….. • To believe in us just see what we have done ….. • What we’ve done is down to our skills ….. • Our skills are down to our planning ….. • Our planning is down to our business ….. • Our business is building….. • Our building happens to be ‘housing’…… ___________________________ Source: Community Project, Sussex Paradigmatic refrain: ___________________________ Source: Community Project, Sussex

3. Contemplating the ‘mutual’ characteristic 2 Story 1a : Engagement and support • Keen interest in mutual values : equity, equality and inclusion • Headlining reports and National Action Plans (x2) • Mutual Sector liaisons / self build success • New DCLG ‘Loan fund’ / local authority sector loans / guarantees ___________________________ Source: Thundercliffe Grange, Yorkshire Story 2a : Niche and fragmentary • Principally seen as co-ops and ‘social housing’ • Some schemes too ‘middle class’ for state support • New groups ‘high risk’ : no post-recession bail-out funds; DCLG ‘Loan’ funds to developers • Expensive / political / limited in scale / self-serving ___________________________ Source: Cannon Frome, Herefords

4. Paradigm constraints for ‘mutual’ development 3 Institutional and household views • Conventional focus on perceived ‘risks’ • Marginal financial routes for UK growth • Limits to current appeal of ‘mutual’ options : • - ‘Co-operatives’ for equality, but usually zero ‘private’ ownership. • -‘Cohousing’ for purchases and facilities, but may have zero AH and end up as speculative. • ‘Community Land Trusts’ for accountability but spectrum is from paternalism to self-help • Demand currently imprecise: research on ‘self build’ appetites - Plymouth, York (x2), Sheffield ___________________________ Source: Ashley Vale, Bristol ___________________________ Source: Ashley Vale, Bristol

5. The need for a new paradigm 4 Issues for a new paradigm to address • Appetite for UK owner-occupation not diminished / limited interest in traditional ‘shared ownership’, or long-term rent • ‘Mutuals’ as means to overcome UK market excess : costs / alienation / poor design • Many ‘mutual’ groups supportive of mixing ownership and rental occupancies • Prepared to secure ‘affordability’ and provide ‘affordable housing’ • Current lead-in demands accentuate ‘risk’ : long times, uncertain sites, difficult funding; little familiarity with collaborative processes in UK ___________________________ Source: East Winns, Findhorn ___________________________ Source: East Winns, Findhorn

6. Mixing old tenures for something new 5 Key elements for a new paradigm • Community ‘freehold’ / long leaseholds & long rental tenancies / resale & re-let covenants • Positive support for sustained ‘affordability’ • Mortgages finance via ‘High Street’ lenders / options for ‘community (crowd) funding’ • Affordable Housing provision, & access to Registered Provider status and grant • Options for rent-to-equity • Direct local accountability • Single utilities and common costs • Rights to acquire land • Political support for insertion within market frameworks (finances, viabilities, etc.) ___________________________ Source: Springhill, Stroud ___________________________ Source: Springhill, Stroud

7. New paradigm : ‘investing in neighbourhoods’ 6 Potential options for a new paradigm • (a) ’Mutual ownership’ – LILAC • (b) New ‘custom build’ tenure • (c) Collaborative ‘bond’ finances • (d) Creating a spectrum of ‘Land Trusts’ • (e) Joint private–community partnerships • Expand role of ‘Land Trusts’ as basis for mainstreaming complementary approaches to collaborative projects: • Community Land Trusts • Co-operative Land Trusts • Cohousing Land Trusts • ‘Custom Build ‘Land Trusts ___________________________ Source: LILAC, Leeds Conclusion ___________________________ Source: LILAC, Leeds

8. Putting the new paradigm in place ….. 7 • Good neighbourhoods happen when people demand them ..... • To show ‘demand’, people have to come forward .... • To come forward, people must believe they could succeed .... • To believe, people need inspiration .... • Inspiration needs practical examples ..... • Examples need imagination and creativity ..... • Creativity must fashion frameworks .... • Frameworks need to be embedded in local communities ..... • Communities grow from neighbourhoods. ___________________________ Source: Forge Bank, Lancaster ___________________________ Source: Forge Bank, Lancaster

9. Key Reports 8 • Bringing Democracy Home’ (2009) Commission on Co-operative and Mutual Housing, UK • Action Plan to Promote Growth of Self Build Housing’ (DCLG / NaSBA, 2011) • Centre for Housing Policy (2013) : “Build-it-yourself? : understanding the changing landscape of the UK self-build market”, University of York • ‘Policy Exchange (2013) : “A Right to Build”, London, UK • National Self Build Association (2013) : “How the public sector can help people build their own homes”, (www.nasba.org.uk) • ‘Mutual Housing Group’ (http://mutualhousinggroup.coop/) : • Report of the ‘Land and Society Commission’ (2011), Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, London, UK ___________________________ Source: Threshold Centre, Dorset ___________________________ Source: Threshold Centre, Dorset