Setting up a group Stage  

Affordable rural housing: a practical guide for parish councils- by the Rural Housing Alliance – link to pdf in resources folder  

Community Land Trust Network | Homepage 

Confederation of Co-operative Housing 

Ensure open and effective communication and engagement with beneficiaries, members and stakeholders about the organisation and its work - DIY Committee Guide 

Site Stage  

Land Registry HM Land Registry - GOV.UK 

Planners guide to Community Led Housing 

RIBA 

Building with Nature 

Build Stage 

Federation of Master Builders (FMB) 

NHBC 

Passivhaus 

Build with nature 

Live stage 

North Yorkshire Home Choice Info

Housing conversations often include jargon and technical language, which can make it difficult for those who don’t work in the sector to feel fully involved.  
 
We have produced a jargon buster to explain the meaning of some terms you might hear: 

• Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) - a capital grant programme run by Homes England, available to Registered Providers to develop affordable housing 
    

• affordable home ownership - a range of options where homes are offered for sale at prices below open market value, including Discount Market Sale, First Homes and Shared Ownership 
    

• affordable housing - homes offered for rent or sale at below open market prices and rents, for households on lower incomes 
    

• affordable rent - rents charged at no more than 80% of open market rates 
    

• affordable housing threshold - the size of the development or site 
  that will trigger an affordable housing contribution. This, and the size of the affordable housing contribution, will be set out in the Local Plan 
    

• allocated site - sites allocated for housing development by the council in its Local Plan 
    

• brownfield site - sites on land that has been previously developed 
    

• cascade - the process and timescales for widening the geography over which homes on a Rural Exception Site can be advertised if no one in the parish with housing need applies. Allocation can be widened to include those in neighbouring parishes and potentially the whole council area 
    

• Choice Based Lettings (CBL) - the process used by most local councils to allocate social housing in their areas, where available homes are advertised and prospective tenants can 'bid', or apply, for them. The home is then offered to the applicant with the highest priority banding who meets the criteria 
    

• cohousing - housing schemes created and run by its residents, focused on shared living. Each household has a self-contained home, as well as shared community spaces and facilities 
    

• Community Housing Enabler - an independent adviser who supports community groups to form, develop and manage affordable housing that will be owned by the community 
    

• Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) - a local authority charge on new developments in the area, used to fund necessary infrastructure 
    

• Community Land Trust (CLT) - local, legally constituted groups who develop and manage homes for the benefit of people in their community 
    

• Community Led Housing Hub - an organisation at the county or regional level that provides local face-to-face support for groups considering or involved in a community led housing scheme 
    

• Community Owned Housing Organisation – a legally constituted local organisation who own and can develop and manage homes for the benefit of the local community with an asset lock to keep the homes affordable. This includes Community Land Trusts, cooperative housing, cohousing, and some forms of self- and custom-build housing 
    

• Community Right to Build - a national policy that allows designated community groups to gain planning permission for small-scale, site-specific development projects 
    

• commuted sums/Section 106 financial contributions - a financial sum taken in place of on-site provision of affordable housing, whose future use will be to support affordable housing delivery by the local council 
    

• cooperative housing - a type of affordable housing where residents collectively own and manage the property, acting as both landlord and tenant through an elected committee or general meetings 
    

• cross-subsidy - the use of sale profit from market housing to help pay for the development of affordable homes 
    

• Designated Protected Areas - settlements with a population of less than 3,000, where occupiers of Shared Ownership properties can only buy up to 80% of the equity, or the housing association has a pre-emptive right to buy back the property when it comes up for sale. This is to keep the homes affordable in perpetuity 
    

• Discount Market Sale - homes sold at below market value to those meeting certain eligibility criteria, with the percentage reduction secured for future sales 
    

• economic viability assessment/financial development appraisal - assessment of the costs of building and the income of a proposed scheme, to determine if or how a scheme could be financially viable 
    

• First Homes - an affordable ownership option for first time buyers meeting certain criteria, providing a minimum discount of 30% off full market value on the first and any future sales 
    

• greenfield site - sites on land that have not been previously developed 
    

• Homes England - a government agency responsible for the distribution and management of funding for the delivery of a range of housing, including affordable housing 
    

• housing association - usually a not-for-profit organisation with charitable purposes that develops, owns and manages affordable housing. They are often referred to as Registered Providers 
    

• housing needs survey - a local evidence gathering process to establish how many people need affordable homes in that area 
    

• housing register - a register held by a local authority, housing association or community-owned housing organisation by which people with a housing need can apply for affordable housing owned by that organisation 
    

• local authorities - organisations often known as councils, which are responsible for the delivery of public services for a defined geographical area, including planning and housing. Where National Parks fall into this area, however, those bodies have planning authority 
    

• local connection criteria - a common requirement for renting or buying an affordable home, where the renter or buyer must have some connection to the local area in which the home is located, such as living or working there, or having close family ties 
    

• local lettings policy - a document that sets out letting policies for a specific development, such as a requirement that the homes are let to people with a local connection 
    

• Local Plan - sets out local planning policies and identifies how land is to be used, what and where it will be built, providing the framework for development and planning decisions in the area they cover 
    

• market housing - homes that are sold on the open market at full market value, normally through an estate agent 
    

• National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – a framework that sets out the government’s planning policies for the use of land in England, guiding the policies within Local Plans 
    

• Neighbourhood Plan (NP) - a development plan for a formally defined Neighbourhood Area by a Neighbourhood Planning Group, which, once formally approved through and passed by a local referendum, becomes part of the Local Plan for the area 
    

• nomination agreement - a contract under which councils place those in housing need into housing association homes as they become available 
    

• planning conditions - conditions imposed on a grant of planning permission, which may require additional approvals for specific aspects of the development or restrict the use of the site, such as that the housing should be occupied by people with a defined housing need and local connection 
    

• planning obligations/Section 106 agreements - private legal agreements between local authorities and developers that are attached to planning permission on a piece of land, setting out conditions to be met by the developer, such as the inclusion of a certain amount of affordable housing 
    

• Registered Provider (RP) - a not-for-profit organisation that provides affordable homes to those on low incomes. Organisations that have this status are subject to regulation through Homes England 
    

• rural area - a settlement with a population of less than 3,000 
    

• rural exception site - a small site within or adjoining a rural settlement that would not normally be considered for housing development but may be granted planning permission to meet a local need. It must be built sympathetically to the character of the area and remain affordable in perpetuity 
    

• Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) - an independent adviser and broker employed to work with all partners and the community to develop affordable housing locally 
    

• self- and custom-build housing - schemes where individuals or associations of individuals build houses to be occupied as homes by them. It can include affordable housing and may be part of a community led housing scheme 
    

• Shared Ownership - a type of affordable home ownership aimed at those who are unable to buy a home outright. The resident part buys and part rents their home and can own a greater share of the property over time - this is known as ‘staircasing’ 
    

• social housing - affordable homes which are owned by registered providers, such as councils or housing associations. Social housing providers can offer both affordable and social rented homes, as well as shared ownership 
    

• social rent - rents charged at a rate determined by a national formula, usually less than affordable rent 
    

• Statement of Community Involvement - a formal statement submitted with a planning application by a developer to demonstrate community consultation and feedback in the planning application 
    

• Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) - a formally adopted document produced by the local planning authority that provides detailed guidance for the implementation of policies in the Local Plan 
    

• tenure - the different home ownership and renting options available, including open market purchase, private rented, social rented, and so on 
    

• Village Design Statement - a formal document produced by the community that sets out the design requirements for new development, so it reflects the local character of the community 
    

• Vision Statement - a document produced by a community that sets out in an informal way what they would like to see as part of a development, including its design 

Community Land Trusts (CLTs) 

Homes and Land are held as a community asset in perpetuity for rent or shared ownership.  These homes are only available to those in need and who meet the criteria of the land trust: E.g.  Having a Local Connection.  

Housing co-operatives  

Involve groups of people who provide and collectively manage, on a democratic membership basis, affordable homes for themselves as tenants or shared owners. 

 

Co-housing schemes 

Are made up of a group of like-minded people who come together to provide self-contained, private homes for themselves, but manage their scheme together and share activities, within a communal space. 

 

Co-living Schemes  

Co-living spaces provide private bedrooms or studios within a larger, fully furnished property. Shared areas include kitchens, lounges, coworking spaces, and sometimes gyms or terraces. These schemes are usually managed by a company rather than residents.  

 

Tenant management organisations 

Homes managed by social housing tenants who share a collective responsibility for management following an agreement with a local council or registered provider Landlord . You can find out more about the right to manage here. 

 

Self-help housing projects 

Often involve small, community-based organisations bringing empty properties back into use, often without mainstream funding and with a strong emphasis on construction skills training and support. Here are 3 great examples of self help housing organisations: Latch, Canopy and Giroscope. 

We interviewed the managing director and an employee from Latch for our podcast series, Communities building homes. You can listen here. 

 

Community self-build schemes 

Community self builds are groups of local people in housing need building homes for themselves with external support and managing the process collectively. 

 Individual self-build is not regarded as community led housing. You can find more out more about self and custom build here.