Developing new homes in Croydon

Community-led housing is an umbrella term for several types of housing which give people an opportunity to develop and manage their own affordable homes. It involves residents designing and building much-needed new homes and helps local communities achieve their aspirations for an area.

There is strong government and GLA support for the community-led housing sector through the £38million Community Housing Fund in London. This funding, together with council support will give local people the opportunity to make their ideas a reality.

Building homes is something we can all do. You don't need to work in planning, have a degree in housing design, or be a builder - anyone can start, volunteer and deliver a community-led housing project. If you think change is needed, why not be part of that change.

We’re piloting community-led housing in Croydon, supporting local communities to develop affordable homes in the borough. Once built, the homes will be owned and managed by the community groups that developed them.

Reasons to get involved in community-led housing

• for your community – be part of developing high quality, genuinely affordable homes in your neighbourhood
• for you – get to know your neighbours, learn new skills and make your mark on a housing development that is of real benefit to your local area
• for future generations – prices are protected forever so our children’s children will benefit, and, with ever-improving sustainable housing design, so will the environment

Sites in Croydon

The Lawns, Upper Norwood

Crystal Palace Community Land Trust (CPCLT) was selected for its commitment to turn a piece of council land at The Lawns in Upper Norwood into high-quality, low-carbon affordable homes. Working with local residents, CPCLT are preparing to submit a planning application for community-led homes later this year. 

Download The Lawns site information (PDF, 6.68MB)

Shrublands

The second site for community-led housing in Croydon is a council-owned garage block in Shrublands, Shirley. We’re looking for local residents – with or without housebuilding experience - to submit ideas (bids) for how new affordable homes could be built on the site.

After a series of in-person community engagement events held in January and February the council are seeking further feedback on the community-led housing site in Shrublands. Successful bidders will receive design and development support throughout the process from the council and Brick By Brick, the council-created developer.

You can have your say on Shrublands here.

Submitting a bid

The application process is through the GLA Small Sites Small Builders portal. Bids will be assessed for viability, design and in line with the following principles:

1. Meaningful community engagement and consent occurs throughout the process. The community does not necessarily have to initiate and manage the development process, or build the homes themselves, though many do.
2. The local community group or organisation owns, manages or stewards the homes and in a manner of their choosing.
3. The benefits to the local area and/or specified community must be clearly defined and legally protected in perpetuity.
4. The community-led housing group will steer the project by outlining their vision and objectives and be responsible for administration and decision making. A group may be:

• responding to housing need or demand from the wider community
• people looking to live together and build their own homes as a community
• an existing community organisation looking to provide housing

The council will choose a successful scheme later this year. Successful applicants must carry out open and meaningful engagement with local residents before applying for planning permission.

For more information on community-led housing and how to submit a bid, contact us at communityledhousing@croydon.gov.uk.

Other sites

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for details of the next sites for community-led homes.