Rural Action Yorkshire has begun a project to look at the potential for community-led housing in North and East Yorkshire. Part of the work involves establishing the level of interest across the area. Parish and Town Councils can have a key role in supporting or providing community led housing schemes. 

The aim of this survey is to find out if community-led housing might make a difference in your village or town and whether, as a Parish Council, you would like to find out more about it. 

What is community-led housing? 

Community-led housing schemes have six main features:

  1. They put local communities in the driving seat - You decide where homes are built, what they look like and decide how local people are selected for the homes provided. You create community assets which can generate income for your town or village to support other local priorities 
  2. They are usually small scale – most developments are less than 10 homes and some are much smaller. No two developments are the same. 
  3. Although most schemes are usually set up and run by local people in their own communities, many are also supported by housing associations, local authorities or regional and national organisations
  4. They provide affordable homes for rent, shared ownership, sale or self-build on sites that are often difficult or even impossible for mainstream housing providers to develop
  5. Schemes meet long-term local housing needs, by the community exercising full control over how and where the homes are provided and retaining a legal and/or financial interest in them, ensuring they will be available to local people who need them and at a price they can afford.
  6. Community-led housing is not for profit, involving considerable voluntary effort from those who decide to become involved. It’s an effort that several hundred communities across the country have already made, with many successful developments initiated by Parish Councils.
 
Community-led housing schemes are becoming very popular across the UK, but there is currently only one scheme in North and East Yorkshire. This project aims to change that by encouraging more communities here to take up the challenge. Let’s put community-led housing on the map!

The survey will remain open for responses until the 31st October 2016. However, to encourage early responses, all surveys received back by 23rd September 2016 will be entered into a prize draw to win £50 towards the work of either your Parish Council or Village Hall.  

Thank you for your time.

T