Question

To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to release brownfield sites within its Estate to the Church Housing Association to increase social housing.

Following the ‘Coming Home’ report published by the Archbishops’ Housing Commission, the Bishop of Chelmsford (as Lead Bishop for Housing) has been working with colleagues from across the Church, including the Church Commissioners, to implement the recommendations from that report. This work includes plans to establish a Church Housing Association. As and when that Housing Association is in place we hope there will be scope for the Commissioners and other church land owners to be able to work in partnership with it to enable the construction of much-needed affordable homes.

At the same time, the Church Commissioners are exploring the potential to boost the supply of affordable homes on their own land through the provision of Rural Exception Sites within existing communities.

More information about the Archbishops’ Housing Commission, and its Report ‘Coming Home’, can be read here: About Coming Home | The Church of England.

Information on the Church Commissioners’ approach to delivering land for housing can be found here New development – defining what matters (churchofengland.org)