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<p>The Government recognises that the community-led housing sector offers significant
potential for helping to meet housing need across England. In addition to helping
increase the rate of delivery of new housing, it will help deliver a range of benefits
including diversifying the housebuilding sector, improving design and construction
quality, developing modern methods of construction, and sustaining local communities
and local economies. The support and close involvement of the local community enables
the community-led approach to secure planning permission and deliver housing that
could not be brought forward through speculative development.</p><p>The Community
Housing Fund aims to support an increase in housing supply in England by increasing
the number of additional homes delivered by the community-led housing sector; to provide
housing that is affordable at local income levels and remains so in perpetuity; and
to deliver a lasting legacy for the community-led housing sector in the form of an
effective and financially self-sustaining body of expertise within the house building
industry in England. Through this fund, housing will be delivered where the mainstream
market is unable to deliver and will be tailored to meet specific local needs. It
will help sustain local communities and local economies and help raise the bar in
design and construction standards.</p><p>The Community Housing Fund is currently scheduled
to close in March 2020. While the programme was launched relatively recently, there
is still time for many community-led housebuilding schemes to access funding and deliver
housing, although we appreciate that this will be more difficult for very new schemes.</p><p>All
proposals to extend the Fund beyond March 2020 will be given due consideration but
decisions on funding for 2020-21 onwards are a matter for the Spending Review, which
will take place this year. Factors that are likely to be taken into account include
the value for money being achieved by the Fund and how successful it has been in increasing
the number of community-led housing schemes either completed or in progress.</p>
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