Solutions

Start an English Land Commission

Start an English Land Commission

Commission will design a strategy for a fairer, more inclusive system of land and land ownership.

For all the winners in a growing economy, millions of people and families are suffering the increasing housing hardship which follows from improving prospects in an area. Redistributing the unfair gains that landowners currently extract when this happens will help. Policies designed to do this should reduce the incentives to hold on to land and property and put windfall gains to public use instead. There are three ways to do this: planning obligations, taxation, and public and community ownership. 

In 2016, the Scottish Land Commission was established by the Scottish government to devise policy to increase the productivity, diversity and accountability of land and land ownership. The government should follow this lead, and establish an English Land Commission to design a strategy for a fairer, more inclusive system of land and land ownership.

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Key documents

Policy in practice

Projects that demonstrate the benefits or may be helped by polices like this.

  • Walterton and Elgin Community Homes
    Tenant-controlled housing estate emerged from the struggle of residents against the sale of their homes to private developers.
  • Granby 4 Streets
    A determined group of residents saved their streets by taking them over.
  • Start Haringey
    Residents and workers aim to turn former hospital site into affordable housing.
  • London Renters Union
    Tenants are taking action against rip-off landlords to win lower rents and longer tenancies.
  • Save Druids Heath
    Residents fight council plans to rebuild their homes that ignore their community.
  • Fossetts for the People
    Campaigners want to ensure former NHS land is used for publicly owned social housing.
  • Goldsmith Street
    Winner of the 2019 RIBA Stirling prize, these eco-friendly homes are one of the first new council housing projects in a generation.
  • Lilac – Low Impact Living Affordable Community
    Lilac is a environmentally-friendly housing co-op with an innovative funding model.