Communities Housing Trust (CHT) is driving forward a wide range of community-led housing initiatives across Scotland. But what does this term ‘community-led housing’ really mean?
Community-led housing is about local people playing a leading and fundamental role in solving their specific housing problems, creating genuinely long-term, affordable homes and strong, resilient communities in ways that are difficult to achieve through mainstream housing alone.
It is a broad movement encompassing a range of approaches, including community groups, development trusts, cooperatives, co-housing, and can involve new build, self-build, regeneration or the use of existing buildings.
Community-led housing is about local people playing a leading and fundamental role in solving their specific housing problems, creating genuinely long-term, affordable homes and strong, resilient communities in ways that are difficult to achieve through mainstream housing alone.
It is a broad movement encompassing a range of approaches, including community groups, development trusts, cooperatives, co-housing, and can involve new build, self-build, regeneration or the use of existing buildings.
Regeneration of Achtercairn, Gairloch. Image credit: Rupert Shanks Photography
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Strontian Community School. Image credit: Rupert Shanks Photography
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The core principles of community-led housing are:
Community-led housing helps bring the public into the planning process, and encourages a more participatory and democratic model of development. Because of this, it can particularly benefit local circular and wellbeing economies, as well as help address the climate crisis more appropriately.
Community-led housing is supported by the Scottish Government through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund set up in 2016, which enables community groups to access grants to part-fund community-led housing projects.
- It is a requirement that ongoing community engagement occurs throughout the development process.
- The community does not have to initiate and manage the development, or build the house themselves, although some do.
- The local community group or organisation owns, manages or stewards the homes in a way that suits them.
- It is a requirement that the benefits of the scheme to the local area and/or specified community group are clearly defined and legally protected in perpetuity.
Community-led housing helps bring the public into the planning process, and encourages a more participatory and democratic model of development. Because of this, it can particularly benefit local circular and wellbeing economies, as well as help address the climate crisis more appropriately.
Community-led housing is supported by the Scottish Government through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund set up in 2016, which enables community groups to access grants to part-fund community-led housing projects.
Communities we've worked with
Here are some of the communities we've worked with across Scotland to develop their visions and plans for their area.
The map below shows CHT projects in blue, across central and northern Scotland. We've also included community-led projects by our sister organisation South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH - formerly Dumfries & Galloway Small Communities Housing Trust), who work across the south of Scotland.
The map below shows CHT projects in blue, across central and northern Scotland. We've also included community-led projects by our sister organisation South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH - formerly Dumfries & Galloway Small Communities Housing Trust), who work across the south of Scotland.
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Case studies
Read more here about particular communities such as Gairloch, Staffin, Balmaha and Tomintoul. Each community has different needs and aspirations, therefore each project is tailored and is developed differently.
Sometimes it's just affordable housing that is needed, but more usually it's a mix of housing, with a mix of tenures, and other facilities such as commercial space (such as shops or space for new businesses) and community amenities (such as health centres, schools, or social space). We undertake this work with communities at whatever scale is necessary and feasible - from just a couple of homes, to dozens.
Sometimes it's just affordable housing that is needed, but more usually it's a mix of housing, with a mix of tenures, and other facilities such as commercial space (such as shops or space for new businesses) and community amenities (such as health centres, schools, or social space). We undertake this work with communities at whatever scale is necessary and feasible - from just a couple of homes, to dozens.
Benefits of community-led housing
Community-led housing has many benefits including:
- It provides additional supply of homes that would not be available through mainstream housing delivery;
- Generates community support for new homes;
- Helps diversify the house building types and tenure options in communities;
- Assists the local economy and trades provision;
- Empowers and builds capacity within community groups and sets a positive example to others;
- Helps to attract financial investment to communities;
- Improves spaces and the built environment;
- Provides choice for older people needing age appropriate housing;
- Gives younger people an opportunity to realise their housing ambitions;
- Supports sustainable and economically vibrant communities;
- Helps people afford to rent, buy or build their own homes;
- Supports an innovative approach to partnership working and to providing solutions;
- It can support social and economic growth in the community.
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We believe in this people-powered movement and what it can achieve and are working closely with other organisations. We are supported by the Nationwide Foundation to raise public awareness, support groups to deliver and to create better conditions for the sector to grow.
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