Empowering Communities for Low-Carbon Affordable Housing

1. Facilitating Community Action Affordable Housing and Community Renewable Energy

2. Facilitating Community Action • Community action vital to increasing local resilience (economic, social and environmental) • Major lack of Affordable Housing geared to local need • Viability of community energy projects hampered by reduction then cancellation of the Feed In Tariff • Policy and market conditions gradually improving for community action

3. Low Carbon Affordable Housing • Favourable policy and improving market conditions for local community housing • High demand for truly affordable housing – geared to local needs • Pressure for change in supply industry– more efficient, assured quality, at scale – modern methods of construction (MMC) • Low carbon / sustainable - to meet climate emergency/carbon targets • Support for community-led housing / developments that benefit communities in perpetuity • Support for solutions that benefit local economy and supply chains

4. Low Carbon Affordable Housing • Practical Progress • Ongoing support for local communities, developers and builders being provided by “Cornwall New Energy” • Sources of funding identified and being tested for project/community setup, project feasibility studies, and capital/development funding • Support actions for specific projects under way – 6 sites/projects in hand in Cornwall • Feasibility study funding sought and approved - Treverbyn Community Hall example • Ongoing discussions/engagement with Cornwall Council to support/facilitate action • Local supplier solutions being assessed and supported – GURBuild example

5. Pilot: Treverbyn Community Hall • Treverbyn Community Hall: owned by a charitable trust whose objective is to improve conditions of life for the people of Terverbyn. • August 2018: 237 families looking for accomodation in Treverbyn Parish on the Cornwall Homechoice waiting list (families with a ‘local connection’ to the Parish) • The charity has 5 acres of land close to Treverbyn Community Hall. • Explore the feasibility of developing part of the land for low carbon, affordable housing • Secured £60,000 for a feasibility study to build new homes (Community Housing Fund) • Community led, nZEB, social rents, surplus revenue remitted to Treverbyn Community Hall towards core funding

6. Low Carbon Affordable Housing • Community collaboration with local Developers and Builders • Government and Local Councils support for MMC – creates exceptional opportunity for local economy/supply chain – jobs, skills ,etc – and for more community/affordable housing • Still multiple challenges from traditional construction /developer industry • Needs innovative thinking and interest in the local supply chain ; and support from local communities • Range of opportunities/ expertise needed - planning/design ; development ; finance ; manufacturing and building process ; building, environmental, digital etc technologies – offsite and onsite ; community consultation and support

7. Low Carbon Affordable Housing • Piran Properties • Small, local developer focusing on sustainable development in partnership with communities • Identifying suitable sites for affordable/low carbon community housing • Collaborating with local community groups to develop affordable/community schemes ; set up of community vehicle (e.g. Community Land Trust) as needed • Combining affordability with low carbon/sustainable solutions – difficult circle to square, requiring innovation and change in traditional methods • Applying for feasibility funding (from Homes England) for three community-led projects

8. Low Carbon Affordable Housing • GURBuild • Innovative, local building systems company – utilising “Modern Methods of Construction” (MMC) to deliver low carbon/truly affordable housing • Problems with traditional construction • - lack of skilled trades ; on site complexity ,confusion and wastage ; weather stoppages , etc • - leading to delays and long construction periods ; inflated costs (not affordable) ; poor quality/high maintenance ; not low carbon solutions

9. Low Carbon Affordable Housing • MMC - Modern methods of construction • - Volumetric (large factory ,off site production ; “whole house” delivery to site) • - Panellised (offsite factory component production ; assembly onsite) • BUT - Inflexible/limited production capacity ; large capital investment & high overheads ; limited benefit to local supply chain/ economy • GURBuild- Platform - working to defined MMC formula/guidelines • - but utilises existing local component production /supply chain • - trains up local (unskilled and supervisory) staff for onsite assembly

10. Low Carbon Affordable Housing • Key benefits • Truly low cost/affordable while delivering nearly zero carbon (nZEB) performance • Appealing / familiar appearance ; traditional house styles • Quality assured system ; low maintenance and running costs ; long life • Future proofed – flexible/adaptable, allowing for changing accomodation needs in local community • Component sourcing from local supply chain ; with onsite assembly – means local jobs, skills and economic benefit

11. Familiar Appearance

12. Low Carbon Affordable Housing • Support for effective action on local community housing • Initial support and advice to identify opportunities, early plans, and agree way forward • Support for : • - finding/applying for funding – for feasibility studies, pre-development work • - land search, negotiation, planning enquiries and application • - setup of suitable community vehicle and project management • - project development, sourcing capital funding, project delivery

13. Funding for effective action • Pre –development revenue funding • Up to 10k – for including affordable housing in Neighbourhood Plans (Locality) • Over 10k – to improve the places and spaces that matter to communities (Reaching Communities : National Lottery Community Fund) – revenue and capital funduing • Over 10k - enabling communities to take the lead in tackling the climate emergency (National Lottery: Climate Action Fund) • Average 30k – 80k – revenue funding for community-led housing feasibility studies (Community Housing Fund : Homes England) • Average 50k – for feasibility, pre-development and post planning costs (Power to Change)

14. Funding for effective action • Capital Funding • Community Housing Fund Phase 2 (Homes England) • - provides capital funding for affordable housing built by community-led housing groups including Community Land Trusts • The Home Building Fund (Homes England) • - Loan funding to meet development costs of building homes for sale or rent • - Infrastructure Finance - Loan funding for site preparation and the infrastructure needed to enable housing to progress and prepare land for development • Municipal Bonds – and other innovative finance mechanisms

15. Low Carbon Affordable Housing • For more information contact us at: • Terry McGivern – terry.mcgivern@ukcommunityworks.org | 07846 309400 • Alex Templeton – alex.templeton@ukcommunityworks.org | 07814 477378 • John Ainslie – john.ainslie@ukcommunityworks.org | 07917 765134

16. Facilitating Community Action Affordable Housing and Community Renewable Energy