We've identified gaps and spaces on publicly owned land for new homes for key workers and people in housing crisis. These opportunities are small (average size of just 10 homes), but there are many thousands of them, enough to make a big impact on the housing crisis. We will acquire the land for the local community using existing legislation if necessary.
With a reputable Housing Association, we will organise and group these homes into secure financial products that will be attractive to big investors (including public sector pension schemes).
Our pilot projects start in Brighton and Hove, Camden and Leicester where we will build affordable homes for key workers and people in housing crisis. After we've succeeded with our pilot projects, we will do more and encourage others to do the same across the UK and help end the housing crisis.
For more information search for "Little Ships Homes" or see our website:
https://www.little-ships.org/
What we'll deliver:
- We will build homes for key workers in Leicester
- We will then expand the idea to other towns and cities in the UK
Why it's a great idea:
We will provide affordable homes for key workers and people in housing crisis on underused publicly owned land in our towns and cities.
Sustainability: Building new homes in our towns and cities (where lots of people want to live anyway) reduces the loss of our countryside and our reliance on cars.
Small is good: Little Ships sites are an average of just 10 homes each. This allows a town/city to spread the burden of population growth more evenly, avoiding hotspots. It’s also lower risk.
Boosting your local economy. Our many small projects will provide a boost to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME's), unlike large blocks of city-centre flats or fields of housing which are the preserve of large companies.
Public Sector benefits: Key workers get to live near their workplace. We can also generate income for the public sector land "owner".
General Public: Taking control of their own land for the benefit of the community.
Steps to get it done:
- We will get public bodies to put their under-used land up for sale
- We will raise the finance (from the investment market) to buy the land
- We will get planning permission for the new homes
- We will raise the finance (from the investment market) to build new homes on the land
- We will make an agreement with a Housing Association to run the homes
Little Ships is a social enterprise property development company. Like any other business, we will make surplus money when we succeed. The difference between us and other "not-for-profit developers" (i.e. Housing Associations) is that we are highly entrepreneurial and innovative in finance, planning, and design. The difference between us and "for-profit developers" is that we will invest our surplus in doing more projects and/or increasing the proportion of affordable units.
