Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are exactly like the kind of organisation that councils and other public bodies should be supporting. The reality is somewhat different, Oliver Bullied, Executive Director of London CLT explained to the Developer Collective audience.
CLTs involve holding land in trust—either through a long lease or the freehold—on behalf of the community. Oliver emphasised that to deliver genuinely affordable homes on public land, the starting point must be zero residual land value. Public sector partners cannot treat site disposals as revenue earners or expect market-rate land expectations.
He said: “It's public land for community good. So, it's thinking about public land, how to best use it and it's about broader community wealth building for individuals and for that community".
When everything aligns, CLTs can deliver transformative architecture and lasting civic value. A standout case in point is Citizen’s House in Lewisham that delivered 11 affordable homes on a former council garage site. Citizen’s House, designed by Archio, was shortlisted for the Neave Brown Award, won Regional and National RIBA Awards in 2025, and London CLT awarded RIBA Client of the Year.
Yet CLT London’s more recent attempts to repeat that success have been anything but straightforward.
A proposal for a site in Southwark to build community housing on an under-used garage site hit the buffers following local elections this summer. The incoming political leadership tore up previous in-principle agreements and decreed that public land should be reserved exclusively for direct council housing. Funding was lost and Bullied has been forced back to re-bid for the site under new terms.
At Cressingham Road in Lambeth, London CLT has tried to develop a TfL owned site—fenced off and unused for 50 years—into 30+ homes and shared green space designed by RCKA.
Despite backing from an independent Design Review Panel, planning officers refused to budge on rigid policies protecting designated "open space."
Finally at Cable Street in Shadwell, London CLT proposed building 41 homes on a second TfL owned site. After years of work and just months away from a formal planning submission, TfL’s operational teams suddenly expanded their space requirements for ongoing railway maintenance.
“I sort of naively came into community housing thinking that, well, this is good, isn't it? You know, it's for housing for local people, it's genuinely affordable, we're making places better and we've got political support. It's going to be a breeze, but there's all sorts of real complexities around it,” he told the audience.
He points out that “all three schemes are proposed on public land brought forward by the GLA's Small Sites, Small Builders program and yet they seem to be really, really hard to deliver”.
Oliver Bullied’s experience offers several crucial lessons for anyone looking to become involved in a CLT.
1. Lock in formal agreements early: Political goodwill is fragile. Secure legally binding land transfers as soon as possible to withstand council leadership changes.
2. Establish zero land value from day one. Public sector partners must accept upfront that genuine affordability cannot coexist with market-rate land expectations.
3. Build deep grassroots support. Local resident advocacy is essential for overcoming bureaucratic resistance and rigid planning interpretations.
4. Prepare for the long haul. Community development on public land is not a quick win; it demands financial resilience, and long-term commitment.
