10 THE SOCIAL NETWORK


Patrick Mooney, editor of Housing, Management & Maintenance


HAS THE CHURCH FOUND A SOLUTION TO THE HOUSING SHORTAGE?


Patrick Mooney, housing consultant and news editor of Housing, Management & Maintenance discusses the recent moves by the Church of England to unlock its land for housing developments.


THE CHURCH HAS CLEARLY DECIDED IT WANTS TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION, RATHER THAN PART OF THE PROBLEM – HALLELUJAH!


WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK


n a dramatic change of policy, the Church of England has signposted its intention to allocate swathes of its land for the development of good quality, social and affordable housing and set an example for other landowners to follow.


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The move could directly result in tens of thousands of new homes being built across England. However, its biggest impact could be in providing a blueprint for other public and private bodies to follow. The church has clearly decided it wants to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. Hallelujah! The Church of England currently owns


about 200,000 acres of land, of which about 6,000 acres are considered suitable for housebuilding. In many respects it has treated these holdings as a land bank, just like many other commercial developers or investment managers, to maximise its income. It releases small parcels of land for development from time to time but under arcane charity law and rules, or interpretations of those rules, it will invariably only sell these plots to the highest bidder – which rules out those wishing to build low-cost housing. Now after a two-year investigation, it has decided it radically needs to change tack.


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