With rural communities facing a real housing crisis, we're proud to share insight on what made this rural housing project a success and a model for future community-led housing development
Addressing the Rural Housing Crisis with Community-Led Development
Rural communities are facing a real housing crisis, with rising house prices and dwindling affordable housing options pushing more households onto social housing waiting lists. The infographic by English Rural Housing Association highlights this issue, emphasising the need for local support to provide affordable housing for people with strong community connections to the area.
Landmark Project at Coxhill Road, Shepherdswell
OSG Architecture is proud to have delivered architectural services on a landmark project that marks an important step forward in addressing the rural housing crisis. Our scheme at Coxhill Road, Shepherdswell is a landmark initiative in Kent, being the first community-led housing scheme delivered by a Community Land Trust, providing homes that local people can afford to live in, in perpetuity.
Carpenters Yard Development
Carpenters Yard is a small development of 13 new bespoke dwellings designed for the Shepherdswell and Coldred Community Land Trust (the ‘CLT’) in partnership with English Rural Housing Association (‘ERHA’). The scheme delivers 10 new affordable homes for rent, cross-subsidised by 3 dwellings for private sale. Located within the village of Shepherdswell, Kent, situated between Dover and Canterbury, the village has rail and road links to the wider county whilst the village itself has a good level of local amenities to offer residents.
Community-Led Initiative
The scheme at Carpenters Yard, was a community-led initiative that took approximately 10 years to bring to fruition. The journey began with the creation of the Shepherdswell Parish Plan in 2012, which prompted a full housing needs survey in 2013. Undertaken by Action with Communities in Rural Kent (Kent-ACRE), now Rural & Community Housing Enabling Service (RACE), the housing needs survey identified the need for 10 affordable homes within the village and the Parish Council Affordable Housing sub-committee began to look at sites in the area to identify those which might be suitable and available for development.
In 2017 the sub-committee formed the CLT to re-invigorate the project and, through increased community engagement, become more effective in delivering affordable housing within the village. The Carpenters Yard site was identified in 2019 as one of two possible viable options taking into consideration the purchase price of the land and the amenability of the landowner to the sale. Feasibility studies were produced for the two sites, following which the other landowner withdrew their interest in the proposals leaving the CLT with this site as its sole focus.
As the site is a rural exception site, the team at OSG Architecture worked closely with the CLT, ERHA and the planning department at Dover District Council through the pre-application process, following which further reviews of the sites and housing needs were prepared by the Rural Housing Enabler (RACE) in support of the proposals. In December 2020 the scheme was submitted for full planning approval. Despite pandemic-related delays, the scheme received unanimous planning approval in January 2022.
Collaborative Success
It was the commitment, dedication and hard work by the Parish Council, CLT, ERHA and RACE that enabled this scheme to be a success and help to keep local people in their communities. The partnership between the CLT and ERHA has delivered a ‘first of its kind’ community-led housing scheme in Kent to provide homes that local people can afford to live in. The land is now under the ownership of the CLT, meaning it remains a community asset in perpetuity.
Following the grant of the planning consent, local contractors WW Martin Ltd were appointed to undertake the construction of the scheme. OSG Architecture worked closely with the contractors and ERHA through the construction period, undertaking detailed design work and attending site throughout the build process – the first residents moved into their new homes in March 2024.
Impact and Future Aspirations
As commercial architects, we are open to work from all sectors and are privileged to have worked on some prestigious projects for private developers and commercial clients, but, it is projects such as Carpenters Yard, where we can see the real and tangible benefit of rural housing schemes, that makes us truly proud and reflects our commitment to supporting rural communities. This initiative not only provides affordable housing, but also serves as a model for future community-led housing projects.
Read our Case Study on the project.
Rural Housing Week 2024 and Community Engagement
Rural Housing Week 2024 took place 1-5 July with the focus this year on why rural communities need the government to commit to a long-term plan for housing.
On 10th July 2024, OSG Architecture was invited to attend an event organised by the Rural and Community Housing Enabling service (RACE), in partnership with Shepherdswell and Coldred Community Land Trust (CLT) to highlight this landmark initiative in Kent, covered by the BBC.
The event was attended by parish councils from across the county, community groups, local authority Housing and Planning Officers, developers and other parties interested in creating a CLT. It showcased how the community-led housing project had been achieved in Shepherdswell, sharing insights and lessons learned with the aspiration of helping to inspire others to undertake similar initiatives in their local area.
Key lessons learned from the scheme at Shepherdswell:*
- A CLT is a good vehicle to bring land forward as it earmarks a project as truly ‘community-led’ and the landowner has confidence that the homes will remain affordable for local people in perpetuity
- A CLT board is consistently supportive, existing to drive a housing scheme forward, where Parish Councils have changing Councillors and consequently changing opinion
- Financial support for CLTs is essential
- Enabling work is crucial to advise and support CLTs through the process
- A variety of skills is needed on the CLT Board
- Partnerships and local funding and support are key in taking such initiatives forward – including involvement of local firms and suppliers who understand community needs.
- Effective community engagement is essential to allay objections
- Effective record keeping of meetings so new planning officers can easily be updated.
- Local authority knowledge, understanding and support of CLTs
*Information taken from Case Study prepared by Tessa O’Sullivan, Rural and Community Housing Manager, RACE.
Client testimonials and Success Stories
"Communicating with the Parish and District Councils was key to the success of this scheme. The partnership with English Rural and the guidance from Tessa at RACE kept us focused on our mission. Sometimes it was frustrating, but obstacles are there to overcome and as such Shepherdswell has ten affordable homes for rent." - Martyn Cobb of Shepherdswell CLT
As architects involved in the planning and design of developments such as this, it is rare that we have the opportunity to actually meet the residents, so it was a delight to be able to meet Maria at the event and hear how much this initiative has benefitted her and her husband, and the local community.
One of our senior architects, Tracey Kisbee attended for OSG and had this to say:
"The project at Carpenters Yard has proved to be a big success locally, helping to change the lives of 30 residents (their own words) in providing a bespoke designed social housing scheme on a rural exception site - a project that I’m very proud to have brought to fruition with the team."
It was a pleasure and a privilege to work on this landmark scheme that we hope will set a precedent and inspire others to undertake similar initiatives.
"OSG rose to the challenges of designing a scheme of affordable homes on this prominent, sensitive and sloping rural site. Tracey and the team were always highly approachable and responsive throughout the project which resulted in a scheme that is much loved by the residents and that will serve the local community for many generations to come. Thank you for your hard work, it’s been a pleasure working with you."- Graham Mann, Development Design Manager, English Rural
For more details on the Carpenters Yard project, visit our case study
To learn more about this scheme and the benefits it has brought to the community: https://englishrural.org.uk/a-lifeline-in-the-countryside/