Document spells out steps for local authorities to take when considering schemes
A guide has been published to help local authority planners work more effectively with the growing number of groups looking to develop community-led housing schemes.
The document, A Planner’s Guide to Community-Led Housing, examines the experiences of urban and rural local planning authorities to show how local planning policy and development management practices can support community-led housing delivery, as well as how it can be promoted through Neighbourhood Plans.
There are currently 87,000 people involved in community-led housing groups, producing a potential pipeline of 15,000 homes and backed by a £163m Community Housing Fund which the government launched in July last year.
The guide was commissioned by Community First Yorkshire and backed by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), together with the Town and Country Planning Association, National Community Land Trust Network, Action with Communities in Rural England and Nationwide Foundation.
Leah Swain, chief executive of Community First Yorkshire, said it was apparent from work in North Yorkshire and other areas that there was a gap between the ambition to provide community-led housing and knowledge among planners.
“This guide fills that gap,” said Swain. “It is written to be relevant to planners working in both rural and urban areas but will also be helpful to other professionals, particularly those coming to community-led housing from a housing or neighbourhood planning perspective.”
Victoria Hills, the RTPI’s chief executive, said: “The community-led housing movement may be small at the moment, but major growth is underway and planners need to be ready for this.
“We hope this document will inspire more planners to explore how community led housing could benefit their areas. And show them how they can support it through proactive development management and plan making.”
Key pointers for planners working with community-led housing (CLH) groups:
Take time to understand what it is the community wants to achieve through the scheme. This will help to find solutions to problems that may emerge and still ensure the scheme conforms to the principles of policy and is deliverable
Advice and information requests need to be clear and laid out at the start of the process with no late surprises. CLH organisations are run by volunteers who do not always have the relevant skills, resources or time that a conventional developer has at their disposal
Providing clear advice and timely requests for information will enhance the confidence and ability of the CLH organisation to provide what you need and maintain community support
Be prepared to be the broker and in some cases act as the ‘bad cop’. A CLH group may have unrealistic ambitions for their scheme. Timely explanation to the community of the reasons why the scheme has to be designed in a particular way maintains their support
Be pragmatic. CLH schemes operate under a number of constraints that affect their room for manoeuvre
Be ready to hold a partner to account. Sometimes a CLH group will work in partnership with a housing association or private developer who will submit the planning application. But the community should still be in the lead and they should be involved in pre-application discussions.
Source: A Planner’s Guide to Community-Led Housing
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