Community-led housing

Housing need is where a household (individual, couple or family) is unable to afford to rent or buy a home on the open market that meets their needs.

North Norfolk District Council has information about housing need across North Norfolk. We gather this from a list of people who apply to the Council for housing. This lets us identify the number of households who have housing need and a local connection.

Affordable housing provides homes for people who cannot afford to rent or buy homes that meet their needs.

Affordable housing means homes let at sub-market rent or housing for sale at sub-market value. For affordable rented homes this means the rent will not be more than 80% of the market rent.

One of the main ways Community-Led Housing can be built is through using land that would not normally get planning permission for new homes. These are called Exception Sites.

What are Exception Sites?

The Council has specific planning policy which allows the building of housing on Exception Sites. The Council will apply the usual planning policies about the site layout, site access and number of homes; external appearance and landscaping.

Exception Site land is relatively cheap because the land can only be used for affordable housing.

The Council's Exception Housing Scheme policy requires that the

• Housing must meet a proven local housing need.
• The site must adjoin at least ten existing homes in the village.
• Be at an affordable cost for the life of the property.

All will share some common features where:

• The parish/local community is involved.
• There is a landowner willing to sell or donate a site.
• The site is suitable for housing development.
• The development finances work.

Most Community-Led Housing is financed through a mixture of grants and loans.

• There are grants to help community groups in the early stages.
• There are a number of charitable and ethical lenders. 
• These can be combined with funds raised within the community.
• There are also additional loans and grants programmes available.
• On an Exception Housing Site there is another way to fund the building of affordable homes. A small number of market sale homes are permitted but these must only be built to subsidise the cost of affordable homes.

For further information about funding contact a member of the NNDC Community-Led Housing team:

• Anna Clarke, Community Housing Enabler, Anna.Clarke@north-norfolk.gov.uk or call 01263 516428 
• Nicky Debbage, Housing Strategy and Delivery Manager, Nicky.Debbage@north-norfolk.gov.uk or call 01263 516027

The Council uses what is called a Local Allocations Agreement to decide who can live in the new homes built on Exception Sites. This agreement makes sure that all affordable homes are prioritised for people who have a local connection.

This agreement gives priority to people with a local connection to the parish where the property is located and the adjoining parishes. This connection will include one or more of the following:

• where you live now
• where you used to live
• where you currently work there
• where you have close family living there

Example of the local connection

Jane Smith who grew up in Trimingham left home to go to college and then moved to Cromer with her boyfriend John. After their marriage and birth of their daughter, Jane and John moved in with Jane's mother. Jane and John couldn't afford a home to rent or buy. This was originally intended as a temporary arrangement but Jane and John have now been living with Jane's mother for four years. Jane's mother has lived in Trimingham for over 20 years.

Jane and John qualify because they have lived in Trimingham for three years and have a family member, Jane's mother, who has lived in Trimingham for over five years.

This model offers permanent affordability and community control of assets.

• Community Land Trust principals offer a way of providing genuinely affordable housing in perpetuity (forever).
• Assets are held in trust for the benefit of the community and ensure they remain permanently affordable and provide a long-term income.
• Income must be used for the benefit of the community.
• Communities can decide how much ownership and responsibility they want to take on of homes and assets.
• This can also be flexible over a period of time as the community feels comfortable taking more on as skills and experience grow.
• Registered Providers (Housing Associations) are often used to build the new housing and can own and manage the homes, if this works for the community.

Related links

• National Community Land Trust Network - Covers England and Wales offering advice, support and grant funding.
• East Midland Community-Led Housing - Covers Lincolnshire and neighbouring counties working with communities wanting to build community-led housing.

This model offers community accountability and control over housing management.

• Co-operative principals empower residents to democratically control and manage their homes.
• All members need to agree to the terms of the co-operative.
• By running their own homes, many co-operatives improve efficiency and therefore make financial savings.
• Local authorities and Registered Providers (Housing Associations) often come together to support the development of a Co-operative.

Related links

• The Confederation of Co-operative Housing - Are a countrywide organisation that supports co-operative and mutual housing organisations.
• CDS Co-operatives - Are a co-op managing agent who support and promote co-op and community-led housing solutions.

This model helps build stronger neighbourhoods, and offers shared space and mutual support.

• Offers a way for individuals and families to come together to achieve these aims.
• These are intentional communities usually started by a few individuals who attract others to join them to live in a specific lifestyle approach.
• Households have their own homes but residents also have communal facilities which can be used to eat together, grow food and run small community businesses.
• The approach gives full resident control and all need to sign up to a formal legal agreement as to how the community will be run, financed as well as how sharing support, help and chores will operate.
• Registered Providers (Housing Associations) or private developers are employed to develop and build the homes, facilities and communal space.

Related links

• UK Cohousing - Offer further information and a way of making contact with others involved in cohousing projects.

This model offers to help build communities:

• Helps individuals to come together to build their own homes.
• Offers a supported approach for the group through the process.
• The group will learn new skills as well as getting to know neighbours.
• Often built by a developer to custom bespoke/individual design.
• A customer build developer can provide new homes to the group which can range from the provision of a built watertight shell which the owner can then finish to their own specification, through to fully complete bespoke/individual homes.

Related links

• The Self Build Portal
• Right to Build Toolkit