Khan Invests in Self-Build Communities

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has shown his support for alternative routes to affordable dwellings with the announcement of the Homes for Londoners Community Housing Hub. The £250,000 investment will help individuals and groups in the capital build their own affordable homes.

It will provide advice on how to obtain funding and unlock suitable land, as well as offering technical support for self-build projects. The hub is also intended to operate as an information-sharing base. It is the result of almost a year’s collaboration between City Hall and several community-led housing groups, during which key barriers to self-build were identified.

“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,” says Sadiq Khan. “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.”

This is great news for those in the capital who want to have greater choice and flexibility when it comes to obtaining an affordable home. There’s also an implication that if community housing initiatives can bear fruit where plot values are at their highest, then this route to home ownership can be employed anywhere in the UK.