Press Release from Cotswold District Council
Cotswold District will be hosting a free special event on the morning of 4 July to inform key local decision makers, housing groups, and the public about the benefits of community-led housing. District and Parish/Town councillors, housing associations and the general public are invited to register for the 4 July event which takes place at the Westwoods Centre, Basset Road, Northleach GL54 3QJ from 10 am to 1230 pm (refreshments and buffet lunch provided).
The organisers – supported by experts from Homes England, a local Housing Association and an established Gloucestershire-based Community Land Trust – will focus on community-led housing as a means of providing more affordable accommodation in local communities across the District. Details will be made available about the range of delivery options available, including: community land trusts; collective self-build groups; cooperative housing; co-housing schemes; mutual home ownership societies; and alms houses.
Importantly, the event – which appropriately falls within the national Rural Housing Week – will also explore how schemes can be initiated (including from the grassroots level), the sources of funding available, and the help that CDC can provide to assist community-led housing schemes. There will also be examples of successful schemes from across the country.
Commenting on this initiative, CDC Cabinet Member for Housing Cllr Lisa Spivey says: “One of our Council’s highest priorities is the provision of more affordable housing across the District, and the growing movement of community-led schemes can play a huge part in achieving that aim. This event will show how they can complement the work of the local housing authority whilst meeting the aspirations of local communities. There are so many advantages to the community-led approach: long term investment in housing through community ownership of local assets; delivery of genuinely affordable homes for local people; gaining local people’s support for new homes and their active engagement in the planning process; creating housing schemes that better reflect local aspirations; increasing the housing supply and unlocking smaller and rural exception sites; promoting better community cohesion; and the encouragement of innovative designs built to high environmentally sustainable standards. I am looking forward to the 4 July event very much and believe that it will serve as a springboard for a wide range of new community-led schemes.”
NOTE: Admission to the 4 July event is by invitation only. To apply for an invite please contact colin.mcdonald@publicagroup.uk or telephone 01285 623248.