One of the new Coalition Government’s proposals is to give power to local people to make it simpler for them to build new homes or other development that their community wants. These proposals are at the heart of the Government’s wider reforms which include the removal of regional strategies and housing targets, as set out in

The Coalition: Our programme for government. These proposal are central to the Government’s drive to create the 'Big Society' and have the potential to be a model for how local people can work together to help shape their communities and provide the housing and facilities which they want.

It is envisaged that the Community Right to Build will give communities the power to develop new homes and other space for community benefit, subject to the agreement of the majority of the community. Under the scheme, any community which wishes to benefit from development could proceed without a specific planning application, as long as they can demonstrate to the local authority that they have met various minimum criteria. These might include:

1. Demonstrating strong local approval for their planned development - with no more than 10 per cent opposition in a formal community referendum.
2. That the proposal does not expand the size of the community by more than 10 per cent over any 10 year period.
3. Meeting sustainable development and environmental criteria.

The type, quantity and design of development to be built will be for the community to decide.

As well as building homes for existing local residents, communities may also wish to develop market housing to attract new residents to move to the area. This is particularly important in rural areas where shrinking populations threaten the continued existence of local services like post offices, GP surgeries and schools. As well as building new homes, communities using the Community Right to Build would be allowed to assist the community by providing other services for the benefit of local people. For instance, they might offer long-term low rent commercial accommodation for a village shop on a serviced tenancy, a community hall, or a sports facility.

Whilst each Community Right to Build project may be modest in scale, the Government’s ambition is to create a vibrant movement that will see numerous projects taken forward across the country, starting in rural areas. We anticipate that take up will be driven through the flexible design of a light touch regulatory framework and an innovative grassroots communications campaign.