Community led housing

We are keen to support community and voluntary organisations.

Community led housing is where:

  • Open and meaningful community participation and consent takes place throughout the project
  • A community group or organisation owns, manages or stewards the homes in whichever way they decide to
  • The housing provides legally protected benefits for the local community, a specific group of people or both.

Common types of community led housing can include:

  • cohousing
  • community
  • land trusts
  • community self-build
  • development trusts
  • housing co-operatives
  • self-help housing

Anyone can start, volunteer and deliver a community led housing project. You don't need to work in housing, you don't need a degree in architecture and you do not need to be a builder. If you think a change is needed, you can lead that change.

If you have a scheme and wish to discuss it, please contact: housingstrategy@solihull.gov.uk.

Frequently asked questions

  • A consultation that plays no meaningful role in a projects development
  • A housing association scheme with the backing of a parish council or community (Rural Exception Site)
  • A standard housing development

Community led housing offers something for :

  • people on a range of different incomes
  • specific groups of people
  • people who want to rent or buy
  • groups wanting to build new homes or refurbish existing buildings

There are three possible ways to provide community led housing:

  1. 'Rural Exceptions’ - the 2013 Solihull Local Plan allows affordable housing on green belt land when supported by the parish council or neighbourhood group to meet local needs in that area. More information is available in our Meeting Housing Needs Supplementary Planning Document.
    For a rural exception scheme to also be community led housing, it would also need to meet the three principles of community led housing.
  2. Self and Custom Housebuilding - we are developing a new Local Plan that proposes a new policy for Self and Custom House Building. These could be provided through a community led housing approach.
  3. Community and voluntary organisations could also purchase dwellings or land for refurbishment/development off the open market.

There are others, if you have an idea why not get in touch with us at: housingstragtegy@soliull.gov.uk.

Yes. Both develop housing for local people. Community led housing can be a way of providing additional affordable housing, however where it does so it cannot replace affordable housing that would be provided to meet borough-wide needs. We must meet our statutory housing and homelessness duties.

West Midlands Urban Community Homes (wMUCH) works to help enable community led housing in the region. They offer support and bring together the people, land and finance needed to make community led housing projects happen. More information is available at www.wmuch.org.uk.