Southwark Council is moving forward with plans to deliver the borough’s first Community Land Trust (CLT) aimed at people who are unable to access social housing and are priced out of the housing market.
Southwark Council has been working with Peckham Citizens and a community steering group to deliver the plans, which would offer a new type of ‘affordable’ housing where prices would be linked to local average incomes and not existing house prices in the area.
Peckham Citizens helped to identify a proposed site, currently home to a row of 27 garages, on the New James Court Estate on Scylla Road in Nunhead. With the help of London CLT, the council’s preferred partner for the project, the community-led organisation has created initial designed proposals which shows the site has potential to deliver 12 new homes which would all be available for purchase.
The final scheme is subject to further design development, community consultation and planning processes which includes the viability of the scheme to ensure it delivers maximum affordable housing.
The plans were discussed during a meeting of Southwark’s Cabinet on Monday afternoon (February 2). Cabinet members agreed the disposal of the land, which will allow London CLT to continue developing proposals that eventually require planning consent.
The garages will need to be emptied so the land disposal can go ahead, and more engagement is required with current garage occupants before the plans are brought forward.
The garages would then need to be flattened to make way for the development.
Cllr Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for New Homes and Sustainable Development at Southwark Council, said: “The council remains absolutely committed to delivering social rent homes and indeed council homes through our direct delivery programme. But we also know that there are a whole load of people who will not be able to access social housing but are finding it very hard to stay in the borough, in particular because of the high levels of cost in the private rented sector particularly.”
Cllr Dennis added: “And so this proposal, it’s a small pilot initially, but I think a really innovative one and it helps fill that gap for people who aren’t going to access social housing but can’t afford to live in the borough otherwise.
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“It builds on a model that London CLT, our preferred partner, have now delivered successfully in Lewisham at Citizens House and also at St Clements in Mile End, where the values of the properties are tied in perpetuity to local incomes.
“So, it’s quite a radical model of delivering affordable housing, but one that we think has an important role to play in Southwark.”
Oliver Bulleid, Executive Director at London CLT, said: “This is a project that’s probably about 10 years in the making of the community coming together and looking for affordable homes for people who are priced out, often who’ve grown up in the area but can’t afford to stay in the area and don’t qualify for social rent.
“It’s an amazing project and we’re very excited to be taking it forward. We have a design that’s evolved and changed. [It] has a mixture of one to four bedroom homes, which is quite unique for a small 12-home scheme.”
The proposed land disposal is expected to be finalised in early summer 2026, while a planning application is expected by the end of 2026.
