Community Land Trusts

In August 2009 Carnegie UK Trust, with support from Community Finance Solutions, was selected by the Department for Communities and Local Government for financial support from the Empowerment Fund 'Community Involvement in Planning' theme for their work promoting Community Land Trusts (CLTs.) This funding will run for three years until July 2012. Please view the website for more details on this funding stream.

This project will build on the achievements of the CLT National Demonstration Programme, which ran between 2006 and 2008. The overall aim is to establish a sustainable and independent National CLT Facilitation body capable of providing a range of high quality legal, financial and procedural advice services to the growing number of CLT groups. This process will be supported by a Supervisory Board whose members include senior representatives of the Development Trusts Association, Homes and Communities Agency, National Housing Federation, Tudor Trust, Tenant Services Authority, CDS Co-operatives and CLT practitioners amongst others. Organisations are now being invited to tender for this work. Please see the brief attached below.

Running alongside this is the aim to set up a model regional support body or 'umbrella' organisation. This work is being focussed in Somerset and Dorset where several village communities have already taken on the challenge of providing affordable rented or part-ownership homes themselves. Interviews for the host of this umbrealla body will take place on the 2nd of March. 

This funding will also allow Carnegie UK Trust and Community Finance Solutions to continue to develop the learning support and resources for CLT practitioners. This will be done through a blend of online support, events, training packages and technical manuals. A community of practice networking site has been set up specifically to assist in the support and sharing of information- insert weblink. The dedicated CLT website continues to be the main repository of information, reports and toolkits for CLTs to access insert weblink. These resources are aimed at CLT practitioners, policy-makers, local government staff, housing professionals and other interested parties. ..