Lewisham council plans to give away public land worth up to £2m to community groups to build social housing

From the Newshound archive · first published 8 October 2026.

Lewisham council is drawing up plans to hand parcels of public land, each valued at up to £2m, to housing co-operatives and community-led groups, with the requirement that they use the sites for social housing. The Green-controlled council is also weighing whether to place gifted land into community land trusts to ensure permanent affordability, and is considering offering low-interest loans and pre-approved planning permission to accelerate building. The proposals are expected to be in place within a year.