£17 Million Support to Help Communities Build

Housing Minister Mark Prisk has announced the fund which will offer additional support to people with plans and ideas for their neighbourhood, from self-build homes to community shops.  The minister said the money will ensure that those wishing to realise their vision will no longer be put off building by the challenges of design and permissions. Until now, the £17 million pot was earmarked solely to help Community Right to Build projects develop their proposals. But to ensure that local building plans can access the same support, whatever route they take, Mr Prisk has expanded the scheme to include any community project.  This means that communities who want to make a change in their area, such as creating a new playground, renovating an empty home or making plots available for house building will be able to access the money they need to develop plans and make it happen. Read more on the Govuk website.

Charities Seek Landlords for Right to Build Schemes

A group of charities is looking for five housing organisations to bid for government money for community development schemes.  HACT, Locality and Urban Forum have been commissioned by the government to deliver a service to support community right to build projects and want housing associations to get on board.  Community right to build was introduced in the Localism Act last year. It enables local people to bring forward small scale community-led developments if more than 50 per cent of local people vote in favour in a community referendum.  The HCA has £17.5 million to support communities through the process, and HACT wants to support five partnerships of housing associations working with local community groups or tenants and residents associations who want to pull together a case for funding for the HCA.  The help will be in the form of support from a range of experts in the field of community housing and planning.  Read more on the HACT website.

Right to Build Cuts the Red Tape to Get Projects off The Ground

A radical new Right to Build will put the power to grant planning permission firmly in the hands of communities.  Housing Minister Grant Shapps will make £17million available to help local people get their building projects off the drawing board - with an 'early bird bonus' for those that move quickly and get their plans in early.  And a new support hub will offer the help and advice they need.  Under the new Community Right to Build, communities will be able to approve new local developments without the need to go through the normal planning application process.  As long as the proposals meet certain criteria and there is the backing of more than 50 per cent of voters in a local referendum, these projects will get the go-ahead.  The Minister will also pledge an 'early bird bonus' of up to £2,000 to those that move quickly and get their plans in by the end of March next year.  And for those looking for advice and support, community charity Locality will launch a new website, phone line, seminars and detailed one-to-one mentoring for those looking to use their Right to Build.  Read more on the CLG website.

HCA Publishes Bidding Guidance for Community Housing Schemes

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has published a toolkit designed to help partners put communities in charge of development in their area – along with guidance on how community-led groups can apply for funding to take on development themselves. Part of the Government’s recent Housing Strategy, the HCA has published the bidding guidance and criteria on how community-led groups can apply for funding to take forward their own housing and regeneration projects. These groups could include co-operatives, mutuals, co-housing, self build, Community Land Trusts and the emerging Community Right to Build. Funding is available as part of the Affordable Homes Programme, which aims to deliver up to 80,000 affordable homes by 2015, and is part of the HCA’s enabling and investment role and commitment to localism. Read more on the HCA website.

Shapps Calls On Communities to Start Building Their Vision for Their Local Area

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has called on communities to start laying the foundations for the future developments they would like to see in their area. Mr Shapps said that communities across the country should start looking at the opportunities that the new Community Right to Build proposals, currently before Parliament, could offer them. And he said that urban areas should look to making use of the new powers - after he extended the scheme which was previously restricted to rural areas only - so that all communities across the country benefit from the new homes, shops and facilities they really want. This new Community Right to Build will shift power from Government and councils to neighbourhoods and allow people to deliver the homes and development that they really want. Read more on the CLG website.

Social Housing and the Community Right to Build - QandA

At the heart of the Government’s Big Society agenda, the Community Right to Build aims to cut red tape in the planning process and give communities more power to deliver the type of development they want in their area. James Garland, Director of Green Issues, says the jury is still out. Q Will this help to deliver more social housing? A Well, the jury is still out on this one. The Conservatives pointed out in their manifesto the previous system of ‘top-down’ planning simply didn’t work in terms of addressing housing waiting lists and that it was their intention to deliver more rather than less development. Developers themselves have been, at best, luke-warm about the Localism Bill in general and also the Community Right to Build specifically. Critics point out that it will encourage piecemeal development in small villages and will do little to help tackle local authority waiting lists. They also point out that, although there is great need for this sort of development, many local communities, particularly in the south east, are unlikely to get together to promote schemes that feature a high proportion of social housing. Read more questions and answers on the 24dash website.

Shapps: Build Your New Year's Resolution with Bricks and Mortar

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has called on the country's aspiring self-builders to make a housebuilding revolution their New Year's resolution. Self-builders are already Britain's largest housebuilder, and account for one-fifth of Britain's new homes each year, but aspirations of ordinary people to build their own home have been thwarted by barriers and red tape. These obstacles have led to the UK having one of the lowest proportions of new homes built by self-builders in Europe - so Mr Shapps has pledged to enable aspiring self-builders to put building their own home at the top of their New Year's resolutions. Barriers that stand in people's way will be torn down - including a complex and bureaucratic planning system, regulatory burdens, and lack of access to land and finance. A new Community Right to Build will offer communities the chance to give the green light to new developments without the need for specific planning applications. This could be local people working alone to build their own homes, or entire communities coming together to build the homes the area needs. Read more on the CLG website.

Shapps Outlines 50% Community Support Plan for New Housing

The Localism Bill will deliver the most radical reform of housing in a generation, claims Housing Minister Grant Shapps. Mr Shapps said the Localism Bill would sweep away top-down building targets, and in their place give local people the power build the homes their community needs. He added the Bill will also end the "lazy consensus about the social housing system, which has become unfair and ineffective". He said decision-making powers on housing will be returned to local councils and communities through a new Community Right to Build. Under this initiative, communities will be able to come together and give the green light to new homes, shops and businesses, without the need for formal planning permission, as long as there is 50 per cent community support in a local referendum. The scheme will be backed up with cash incentives through the New Homes Bonus for councils that allow new development in their area. Read more on 24dash.

Shapps: New Legislation Will Extend the Right to Build Across the Country

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has announced that the new Localism Bill will extend a new Community Right to Build across England. Previously, this new right was to be restricted only to rural areas - but Mr Shapps has confirmed that communities across the country will also be able to use these powers. Any community organisation bringing forward new developments under this power will not need to make a normal application for planning permission, if it meets minimum criteria and has local support through a referendum. When housing minister Grant Shapps proposed the initiative in July, it called for a 90 per cent level of support. This was lowered in August to 75 per cent after the National Housing Federation said the previous threshold would ‘result in no schemes being brought to fruition’. A briefing issued ahead of the Localism Bill now says this will be 50 per cent. The new Community Right to Build will be introduced as part of wider Neighbourhood Planning reforms - details of which are included in the Localism Bill. Read more on the CLG website.

Grant Shapps: Communities Should Prepare For Their Right to Build

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has announced that local rural housing projects that secure the support of 75 per cent of voters will get the go-ahead without the need for a specific application for planning permission. This is the next step in bringing forward a Community Right to Build, which will move power from Whitehall to residents to give the green light to new developments that have overwhelming local support and meet minimum planning criteria. The Minister today urged rural communities to work together to prepare for this new Right to Build, and examine how it can be used to deliver the homes their areas need. The Government had initially proposed a higher 90 per cent threshold for local Right to Build approval, but it was soon clear that there was a strong preference for a lower threshold across the board. Read more on the CLG website.

Shapps Gives Rural Communities 'Right to Build'

Grant Shapps has announced a new right will allow people in rural villages to choose what is built in their area, helping to make sure that children who live there are protected against unwanted development in the future. The 'Community Right to Build' will allow local people and communities across England to decide where to create new homes, shops business and facilities where they want them and where they are needed, not where local councils and central government think they should be and free from unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy. Celebrity builder and TV presenter Tommy Walsh said "Whether it's building affordable housing to allow young people to remain in their village, housing for the elderly, new schools or even business developments to keep the community vibrant - if it's what the community wants, it should be made easier for them to do it. Download the “Community Right to Build” leaflet from the CLG website by clicking on the logo below.