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Sadiq Kahn sets out plans for two community-led custom-build projects in London

by: Edward Murray
  • 24/04/2017
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Sadiq Kahn sets out plans for two community-led custom-build projects in London
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (pictured), has outlined plans to provide £250,000 to set up The Homes for Londoners Community Housing Hub to help people build their own affordable homes in the capital.

Kahn has also backed a no-frills affordable housing project in Enfield to the tune of £500,000. This will see 22 homes built to an ultra-basic finish, enabling developers to keep the costs down and allowing owners to complete the work for themselves.

The Homes for Londoners Community Housing Hub will offer support to Londoners and community groups who want to build homes in the capital. From this summer, the hub will offer advice including how to access funding and unlock land, as well as offering technical support for projects and a base for information sharing.

Kahn said: “Community-led housing offers the chance to build new homes that Londoners want to live in. Londoners should be able to play a leading role in building their own communities, but for too long this has been difficult and they have had no support or access to funding.

“That’s why my new Homes for Londoners Community Housing Hub will act as a one-stop shop for Londoners interested in getting involved in community-led housing. It will help strengthen capacity amongst Londoners to embark on new projects, as well as offering support including technical expertise and access to funding.”

The second project in Enfield will see 22 new homes delivered by Naked House – a group of Londoners who strip developments back to their bare essentials. Minimising the cost of development will mean the new properties come with a price tag of between £150,000 and £340,000. This is the first time a community-led housing group has received funding from City Hall.

Simon Chouffot, co-founder of Naked House, said: “We want to put people back at the centre of house building – creating well-designed but pared-back homes that residents can adapt and change to suit their needs.”

He added: “Support from the GLA has been crucial – ensuring homes are genuinely affordable for those currently priced out of the communities in which they have put down roots. We hope this project is the first step towards a new type of housing that will help thousands of Londoners.”

Kahn said he hoped this would be the first of many similar projects in the future and commented: “Naked House is the first group to receive funding and I look forward to seeing more communities across our great city working together to build new and genuinely affordable homes to rent and buy.”

Discussing the newly-launched initiatives, Calum Green, co-director of London Community Land Trust, said: “Community-led housing is a great way to provide the genuinely and permanently affordable homes that London needs. Londoners are more inclined to back the building of new homes in our neighbourhood when we play a meaningful role in deciding where those homes go, who should live in them and what they should look like.”

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