Church Grove, a Community Land Trust project in Lewisham, London, has welcomed its first families, who were involved in designing and building their own homes.
Co-ordinated by community housing group Rural Urban Synthesis Society (RUSS), the project has taken 15 years to complete from concept, a testament to the resilience and commitment of its residents.
The 250-year lease for the land was signed in early 2020.
The project has seen future residents and local community volunteers work to plan, design and self build elements of the 36 home development in London, including its volunteer-built community hub building.
Architects Shepherd Epstein Hunter, with contributions from Architype and Jon Broome Associates, worked with the future residents to co-design the development.
Organised and overseen by RUSS, the Church Grove scheme has seen a range of local volunteers driving all stages of the process. As such, the residents were involved with forming a group, acquiring land, raising funds, supervising architects and contractors, getting planning permission, and building and landscaping together as a community.
Most residents took on some of the work on their own apartments, with a choice of self build or self-finish. They were also involved, along with other volunteers, on communal elements, such as the community hub (see images).
Because community led housing projects tend to have a long timeline, four of the original group of would-be residents left the project as their circumstances changed during the timeline.
Being a Community Land Trust ensures Church Grove’s homes are affordable, with a range of sizes and tenures that means the homes are available for everyone, including lower-income families.
Residents also had input into how their housing would be managed, and remain involved with regular meetings in the on-site community hub.
The Chair of RUSS, Anurag Verma, said: “This has been a momentous and challenging project, but this community-led organisation has succeeded in creating a sustainable neighbourhood and unique housing model. This shows what can be achieved when ordinary people work together with a shared vision and determination.
“The project has been led by the community from the outset through the design, planning and building processes. The result is 36 homes with four tenure types, fully tailored to the needs of the residents. We hope that other community groups will be inspired to learn from this model and create their own housing to meet their needs.”
As the capital’s biggest community-led self-build housing project, the block has been supported by organisations, including the Greater London Assembly, the London Borough of Lewisham, the Cooperative Development Society, Triodos Bank, and Big Issue Invest. A new public riverside garden and play area is being built as part of the project, thanks to a crowdfunding campaign and a grant from the Veolia Environmental Trust.
About RUSS
RUSS was set up in response to the lack of suitable affordable housing in London. It continues to work to create new neighbourhoods for the local community with an emphasis on local volunteering. It has been awarded permanent planning permission for its Community Hub, which was used a centre for education and training for the self builders and other community volunteers involved on the site.
You can donate to support RUSS’ ongoing work
Image credtis: Andrea Vladova, Ellie Koepke
