Apply for a Community Housing Fund small grant

We have a small grants scheme to assist community groups who want to deliver affordable housing to meet identified need in their area. 

The scheme is financed from the government's Community Housing Fund. This fund was established to help local authorities who are in the greatest need of affordable housing due to high land values and numbers of second homes.

We will will use up £25,000 of this grant funding to allocate small grants to emerging groups who want to deliver affordable housing in the district for the benefit of local people.
 

How much you can get

You can apply for grants of up to £2,000 to assist your community group to:

• scope out your ideas
• draw up plans
• reach legal incorporation
   

Eligibility

A community group can be an organisation that is already legally incorporated, such as a parish or town council.

Or, you cold be an emerging group wishing to build your own homes or who are still working up your plans.

These groups can include:

• Community Land Trusts (CLT)
• co-operatives
• cohousing groups
   

How to apply

You can apply for a grant of up to £500 at each of the 3 stages. A final grant of up to £500 will be available to enable projects to progress further if you can provide a sound business case.

You can apply using our community housing scheme application form (Word doc) [35KB] .

For further information you can speak to Judith Snares, Housing Strategy and Operations Manager,  on 01799 510510.

Send your completed grant application to us.

Post: Housing Enabling Officer, Uttlesford District Council, Council Offices, London Road, Saffron Walden CB11 4ER

Email: housing@uttlesford.gov.uk
 

Grant stages

See some suggestions on what the 3 grant stages may look like.

① Scoping stage

The scoping stage involves thinking about what it is that you wish to achieve through your Community Land Trust (CLT) scheme. The scoping day can be a workshop type event that discusses questions such as, who, when, why, what and how of your project.

It is designed to help you make decisions and to come up with a solid idea and a plan to bring it to fruition.

② Design stage

The design stage is for groups who have a good idea about what form of community led housing model they wish to use to meet their aims.

This stage focuses on how to move those aims towards a solid plan, bringing together members of your steering group to consider issues like a business plan and possible sites.

③ Incorporation stage

The incorporation stage takes the steering group through the legal incorporation process, helps them design the scheme in consultation with the community, including the drawing up a business plan and meeting with architects or planning agents to take their scheme to planning permission
 

Assessment of applications

Applications will be assessed on the following criteria:

• relevance
• evidence of local community support
• evidence of how the grant will be used
• expected outcomes
• realistic timescales
• evidence of properly constituted banking facilities to receive grant allocation
   

After you've applied

A decision on whether a grant application has been approved will be made within one month of receipt of a completed grant application form.

Grants will be approved by the Director for Public Services in consultation with the council's Housing portfolio holder.