Breathing life back into disused housing and restoring community pride
About South Bank Community Land Trust (CLT)
South Bank is a former industrial town in Redcar and Cleveland borough in North Yorkshire. South Bank Community Land Trust (CLT) was set up by the local community in 2019. The focus of South Bank CLT is bringing back disused or derelict housing for use by local residents. With a current portfolio of five houses, the CLT is using money from the Levelling Up Fund to purchase a further five houses. The aim of South Bank CLT is to secure affordable housing for local people in perpetuity and ensure that the CLT’s work ripples out into the surrounding community.
How is South Bank CLT making a difference?
South Bank CLT provides a holistic approach to bettering the local community. By focusing on tackling the number of South Bank’s empty properties, it hopes to reinvigorate a sense of ownership in the area and attract investment in the town. However, its work goes beyond securing affordable housing in perpetuity; it has also partnered with Redcar and Cleveland College to identify local training and employment opportunities. South Bank CLT has also set up an Eco-Shop to provide affordable food to local people struggling with the rising cost of living. Similarly, it has installed solar panels on several of its houses to help reduce the cost of energy for residents and ensure the housing is sustainable and resilient moving forward.
The Eco Shop, I think proved that we were there to benefit the community, not just to bring houses back into use. So, people saw the heart in the community and therefore they will want to be part of it.
Michael Janes, Director, South Bank CLT
How did they do it?
A number of residents were concerned about the number of empty properties and absent landlords and formed a local steering group to try to find a solution. Throughout this process, they worked with several organisations, including the council, Thirteen Housing Group, local faith groups, and the National CLT Network.
The steering group decided that establishing a CLT was the best course of action, and the local council, through Section 106 agreements for affordable housing contributions, had funds available to support the startup of CLTs in any of the council’s wards. Through a registered provider, Thirteen Group, South Bank CLT got £110,000 of funding from Homes England and Redcar and Cleveland Council to purchase and refurbish its first five houses. More recently, with the support of the local authority and Thirteen Group, it became one of only two CLTs to be awarded Levelling Up Funding. It was awarded £411,000 to buy and renovate an additional five properties.
South Bank CLT is currently run by volunteers; however, the team is ambitious and hopes that through building economies of scale, it will be able to grow its portfolio of housing and start employing staff.
Three things to unlock South Bank CLT’s potential.
- Finance is a massive issue. You need access to early funding, as this is essential to get the organisation off the ground, and you need money to pay for all the background work (e.g. legal advice).
- Good relationships with community stakeholders are vital. These networks are where you get your volunteers – and a wealth of knowledge and passion.
- Community buy-in is essential. One successful project can help prove the concept and allow the organisation to gain the local community’s trust.
A lot of the problems in South Bank are where they’ve been promised a lot, but nothing’s ever turned up. So, when we got the five homes all done, we wanted a celebration event … and we can say, hand on heart, this is a good news story.
Michael Janes, Director, South Bank CLT
South Bank CLT’s advice for new community projects
- You need someone with a vision and who is willing to take on a leadership role.
- Networking is essential; connections with other professionals can be beneficial.
- You need a succession plan in place to ensure continuity.
- Once you’ve completed one project, the next project becomes easier.
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