Stewarding land for community use in Sheffield

Our Why
Prevailing models of development across Sheffield demonstrate extractive practices which fail to address the needs of local people. This results in many challenges including; the displacement of existing communities; limited community engagement, participation and agency; a lack of affordable homes of appropriate size and quality and inadequate provision of suitable community services and infrastructure. In many cases, people feel that there are a lack of pathways to meaningfully shape places based on social needs and cultural significance.

Our Idea
Sheffield Community Land Trust (SCLT) is a community-led organisation established to advocate, support and deliver community ownership and stewardship in the city of Sheffield. Attercliffe is one of a number of neighbourhoods in Sheffield with high levels of deprivation,with significant brownfield land and derelict sites, and at risk of the common gentrification narrative. We aim to counter this through facilitating community ownership and development which strengthens community, addresses provision, retains value, and secures long term benefit.

Our pilot project will bring an underused building or brownfield site into community ownership. This will be a mixed-use development of housing and community spaces which are low carbon, genuinely affordable, and stewarded by the community to retain wealth and benefits locally.