The sun is Shining on Community led Housing if not outside!
The Good
In April DCA was given the chance to play a part in a research project with Communities CAN and the Rural Design Centre. The focus was to consider if community led housing could play a part in the regeneration of the High Street or Market Towns. Northumberland have some excellent examples of where this has worked well but there is nothing similar in County Durham. I saw this as a great opportunity to change this. It was also a chance to work with a new Team that included the Rural Design Agency. This Team all has different skills and due to locations had to work remotely. Once we learnt to overcome these challenges and harness our differences, we began to see results.
The Bad
The new Team all came from different organisations and all had different understandings of the remit of the task. Inherently, the task was vague at the outset which involved us digging ourselves into a million different black holes. It seemed like the further we got into the process the more demands from the funders we got. They pushed us hard but also provided training alongside this to support our journey. What we set out to do is completely different to where we have ended up. Crawling out of those holes has caused us all several headaches and yet the most difficult process has given birth to what we think is a beautiful concept.
The Brilliant
We are now on the final furlong. A Team that began by pulling in different directions has now successfully produced a Pitch for investment. It is looking great!!!! It could make a real and lasting difference to not only community led housing on the high streets but also elsewhere. It could help lever in the all important support from Local Authorities and Registered Providers. It could have links to the North of Tyne Combined Authority and it could, once piloted, have potential to be rolled out nationally. I feel like I have learned so much about different ways to work that although painful and sometimes downright frustrating at times it has been one of my highlights of 2023. (Well that and the Cree Member’s Health & Wellbeing Survey!)
