People involved in local community spaces and organisations, such as Paradise Co-op garden and Kimber Skate Park coming together to form a Community Land Trust. They have identified a site and are working on a partnership with a private developer.
How we’re helping
We have offered support and advice for incorporation and membership building.
Phoenix Community Housing, a resident-led non-mutual housing organisation, have completed their first development of 60 one and two-bed extra care homes for affordable rent next to their existing properties for older people, freeing up some of their larger properties.
| Number of homes | 60 extra-care homes at affordable rent |
| Location | Bellingham |
| Project Stage | Built 2017 |
How they formed
Phoenix Community Housing was created in 2007 as the first community gateway in London and one of just four in the UK. The community gateway model was developed by the Confederation of Co-operative Housing, Co-operatives UK and the Chartered Institute of Housing to give tenants more control of their communities.
They were transferred ownership of 6,500 homes in Bellingham and Downham from Lewisham Council. As a non-mutual society, they are controlled by more than 2,500 shareholding residents, whilst allowing non-members to be tenants as well. The model empowers tenants and leaseholders to take a central part in decision-making as shareholding members. Tenants and leaseholders elected by residents are the largest group on the management board. The chair and vice chair of the board are both tenants.
All residents are encouraged to get involved to influence services and future priorities. Phoenix support local community initiatives to improve the environment and quality of life and are consistently named one of the best landlords in the UK.
Site
In 2014, Phoenix Community Housing identified an opportunity to provide new homes for their older residents on an underused, but constrained site, adjacent to a 1960s block of flats. This will in turn free up larger homes for local families. As their first new build development, Phoenix were keen to set a high standard for others in the pipeline.
Funding and Affordability
The project was funded by Phoenix’s own borrowing facility with grant funding from the GLA and Lewisham Council. Rent for a 1 bed home is around £166 per week, and there are further service charges and costs to cover extra care services.
Design and Construction
As a resident-led organisation, Phoenix engaged extensively with existing and new residents. Many of the discussions at consultation events informed elements of the design by Levitt Bernstein Architects, which has won several awards.
The building works with the tight plot and adjoins the existing block to form a horseshoe with two new courtyards, one enclosed and intimate and another more open and green, connected by a new garden room, providing a light-filled communal space. All homes are dual aspect and accessed via outdoor galleries. Planters and seats in front of kitchen windows allow for personal gardening and socialising. The brick lattice screens in front of entrance doors provide a degree of privacy, whilst balcony details reference the 1960’s building next door.
Living there
The extra care apartments have been specifically designed around the needs of older people who wish to remain independent in a home of their own. Around two thirds of residents will require some personal care, for some this will be minimal, while others may need a higher level of care.
There are care and support staff on site 24/7. The staff also work with residents to develop social, recreational and educational activities open to both residents and older people living locally. The scheme also has communal areas, including a catering kitchen and dining area, activity room, garden room, lounge area and a shared courtyard garden.
The homes are available for Lewisham residents over 55 in need of the care available at the scheme. Existing Phoenix tenants looking to downsize are prioritised to free up larger properties for others.
What’s next
Phoenix have an active pipeline of developments, and recently completed Springbank Court.
E16 CLT was founded in 2018 by the People’s Empowerment Alliance for Custom House (PEACH) as a resident-led response to the stalled regeneration of the area.
PEACH was set up by residents from the schools, churches, streets and clubs of Custom House to support each other, build strength and have a say over decisions which affect the community. It is part of the Big Local programme. Members voted on PEACH priorities include Jobs, Housing, Safety, and Health.
Following residents’ concerns over the management of “temporary” homes, PEACH helped to stop evictions and improve living conditions for private and council tenants in the area. Residents felt that the regeneration of the area needed to be led by the community and began to develop an ‘Alternative Regeneration Plan’. It involved a year long period of engagement and listening process with a team of community organisers, architects, and local residents in training. They knocked on over 1,000 doors to have 150 in-depth conversations and held 10 workshops with 170 people. They developed principles for regeneration in their local community, including genuine affordability – that new housing, shops, and services should be linked to local wages/income, and not to market price. The phased community led masterplan sought to increase the 560 homes in the area to 2000, with residents only having to move once.
To meet the need for genuinely affordable homes managed by the community for the community, PEACH founded the E16 Community Land Trust. The CLT now has a full board and a growing membership of at least 175 members from the local area. Elected Community Representatives are taking an active role in the coproduction of design, viability and planning work of the first phases of the masterplan with council officers.
How we’re helping
We supported the CLT commission feasibility work to build homes on two sites the CLT had identified in the next phases of the masterplan. Although the council was initially supportive of proposals, these sites turned out to be unworkable. We subsequently supported E16 CLT to explore partnership options which secure permeant CLT affordability within council developed sites, and have more recently identified two promising smaller sites in E16.