A vacant plot of land in Hanwell has been chosen for a community-led housing scheme, which could create up to 20 new genuinely affordable homes for local people.

It was revealed this week by Ealing Council as the preferred location for the borough’s first community land trust (CLT) housing development, keeping a promise it made in 2022 to find a suitable place for a CLT to help people who feel having their own home in the place they grew up is out of reach.

CLTs are not-for-profit groups that provide genuinely affordable homes by linking prices to local incomes and keeping them affordable for future generations. The homes are built on land that the community will own – and residents will help to design the buildings.

Council leader Peter Mason said: “This is an important step towards creating genuinely affordable homes that stay affordable for local people. CLT homes give residents more say in how their homes and neighbourhoods are shaped, and this work will help more people put down roots in the borough.”

What are community land trusts?

Like the rest of London, the borough has high housing costs. There is a growing need for homes that people can afford, including those who do not qualify for social housing but cannot afford private rents or to buy. The average home in the borough now costs 16 times the average local salary.

CLT homes offer an option for people in this situation. The land is owned by the community, while homes are sold or rented at prices linked to local incomes rather than market levels. CLTs often offer a mix of affordable sale and discounted rent. They can also bring wider benefits, such as new public spaces or local training and work opportunities. Across London, CLTs have shown that community-led housing can create well-designed homes while giving local people more influence over development.

Where will the borough’s CLT be?

Marston Court in Bordars Walk has been identified as the preferred spot for the CLT.

Councillor Mason added: “We promised to find a suitable site for a community land trust during this council term, and agreeing Marston Court as the preferred location means we are keeping that promise.”

‘This moment means so much’

Ealing Citizens, a local alliance of faith, education, and charity organisations, has worked closely with the council on this project. It has been campaigning for more than a decade for a CLT and took part in the selection process that led to Marston Court being chosen.

Jackie Ashmenall, a community leader from Christ the Saviour Church – a member institution of Ealing Citizens – said: “I’m so proud of our housing team, who have never given up hope that one day we would see genuinely, permanently affordable homes built in our borough. These homes will mean security and opportunity for people who are so often squeezed out of the housing market – key workers, young families and young people.

“We have worked tirelessly for over 10 years on this campaign because we believe the community land trust model offers something different: a fairer system where homes stay affordable not just today, but for future generations. That’s why this moment means so much to our community.”

Henry Wilson, a young resident involved with Ealing Citizens, said: “I work full-time but I can just about afford to rent one room in a shared house, because owning a home in London feels impossible. For many young people like me, the housing market is completely out of reach.

“Through Ealing Citizens I’ve learned how community land trusts can give young working people a real chance to own a home and put down roots. That’s why I’m excited to be part of this campaign and hopeful we’ll see more genuinely affordable homes built across the borough.”

Next steps

The council will now carry out more checks on the site and begin the early stages of work to help bring a future scheme forward.

A report asking for approval to formally market the opportunity and choose a CLT partner is expected to be considered by the council’s cabinet in late 2026.

Once a partner is chosen, they will work with residents to design the homes and agree how they will be managed in the long term.