Westminster event launches new guide to help unlock more genuinely affordable homes

We were delighted to welcome residents, local authority leaders, housing professionals, architects, policymakers and community-led housing organisations to launch our new guide, Unlocking Development Sites for Affordable Housing.

Author: Christine Bowles, Communications and Operations Manager

Date: 26/6/2026

Category: News / Insights

Tags:  affordable housing, unlocking affordable housing

Despite the exceptionally hot weather, the event attracted strong interest from across the housing sector, creating a fantastic opportunity to share ideas, experiences and practical solutions for delivering more genuinely affordable homes.

The event marked the launch of our new guide, which brings together practical lessons and recommendations for making better use of small sites to deliver community-led, permanently affordable homes across London.

Bringing different perspectives together

Chaired by Baroness Polly Neate CBE LLD(hc), the evening featured an inspiring panel of speakers: Anthony Okereke, Russell Curtis, Richard Springer, Juliet Can, Oliver Bulleid and Sem Lee.

Together they shared perspectives on housing policy, design, local authority leadership, community organising and what it means to live in a Community Land Trust home. The discussion highlighted both the challenges facing affordable housing and the opportunities that emerge when communities, councils and partners work together.

A guide built from real experience

The guide has been developed from London CLT's experience of delivering community-led housing, alongside the knowledge and expertise of partners from across the sector.

It offers practical recommendations to help unlock small development sites that are often overlooked but have huge potential to deliver genuinely affordable homes. Whether you're working in local government, housing, planning, development or community organising, we hope it will provide useful ideas and inspiration.

Thank you

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, our fantastic speakers, and everyone who contributed to making both the event and the guide possible.

The enthusiasm, ideas and conversations throughout the evening reinforced what we already know: there is a growing movement of people committed to delivering homes that are genuinely affordable, community-led and remain affordable for generations to come.

We'd also like to thank everyone who contributed to the guide itself. It reflects the expertise, experience and commitment of people across the community-led housing sector, and we hope it will support many more successful projects in the years ahead.

Download the guide

If you couldn't join us on the night - or you'd like to explore the recommendations in more detail - you can now download Unlocking Development Sites for Affordable Housing from our website.