Bevan Foundation

Inviting the Bevan Foundation to combine its voice, resources and evidence with two existing grant holders, Housing Justice and Cwmpas, to enable an in-depth examination of how land could be utilised for more affordable homes across Wales.

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Strategic purpose

One of the systemic barriers for creating more affordable homes is the access to land. This project will help advance the understanding of how land acts as a barrier to increasing the supply of affordable housing at a national level and how the issues and any solutions can be shared at a UK level.

Why we are funding this project

For the Nationwide Foundation, this project will provide valuable insight into the issues involved in unlocking land for affordable housing in Wales. For our grant holders, it will create evidence that can be collectively used to influence a greater number of decision makers.

Project description

The Nationwide Foundation has continued to support two organisations, Housing Justice and Cwmpas, which both have access to land as a common issue to address. Housing Justice’s aim is to enable more affordable homes to be created on church owned land, while Cwmpas aims to build the capacity, scale and sustainability of the community-led housing sector in Wales.
Housing Justice and Cwmpas both identified a number of shared influencing priorities aimed at the Welsh government and a need to complete further analysis of the issues involving access to land. The Bevan Foundation will work with both organisations to address these priorities and demonstrate the potential of church land and other socially owned land to create high quality social or community-led homes. By combining their collective voices, the organisations hope to increase their ability to reach and influence a greater number of decision makers.
The project will seek to demonstrate that:

• Land supply is a significant barrier to the development of new social and community-led housing
• The supply of new social and community-led homes is falling short of targets
• There is potential for land held by different types of social and public owners to create new social and community led housing

Following on from this phase, the project will develop ideas and recommendations for change, including shifts in public policy, legislation, funding and practice. A final report will then seek to influence and inform decision makers.

Back to funding 2016–present