Community Owned Arches in Hackney!

HELP US TAKE THESE HACKNEY ARCHES INTO COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP!

Imagine if the premises of JC Motors, Tripspace Yoga & Dance and Signature Brew E8 were all owned by the community! Their vital work supporting thousands of local people will be safe forever with permanently affordable rent!

IF NOT NOW, WHEN? IF NOT US, WHO?

Back in April of this year, Len Maloney was given two weeks to pay £70k arrears or face eviction. Due to the power of the people, that decision was reversed. Now with your help chipping in whatever you can afford, we can aim higher! 

Together with experienced experts, we can take three arches into community ownership starting with the premises of JC Motors and two more long-term Guild members Signature Brew E8 and Tripsace Yoga & Dance. This way their rent will always remain affordable and Len and his neighbours will never be under threat again. 

Whether you donate £1 or £1,000 by chipping in you will also be invited to become a founding member of our democratic Trades Guild Community Land Trust to help us shape our vision as we move forward. 

If all the signatories of Len's letter to Sadiq Khan chipped in £15 each we would hit our goal immediately. 

THE GUILD HAS DONE THE GROUNDWORK TO MAKE THIS A REALITY! 

1. The Mayor of London who has decision-making powers for TfL is on board. When we asked Sadiq Khan about a CLT just prior to the previous election he said: “The answer is yes, but the issue is the timeline. I do not want to commit to something I cannot deliver. We will have to speak properly about it after the election if I am still Mayor. For the CLT we need to look at the land we’ve got to identify the best site”

Now six months ahead of the London Mayoral Elections, we must act to hold Sadiq Khan accountable for his promise!

2. We have developed a plan with Community Led Housing London. This respected organisation is supporting CLTs across London in partnership with the Greater London Authority. Although they have specialised in affordable housing to date, they bring a personal understanding of workspace, and the basic principles of securing and managing property are applicable to either context.

WHAT DO WE NEED THE MONEY FOR?

We’re aiming to raise a minimum of £30,000 for the first year of staff costs to deliver a three-year project plan which we have put together with CLT experts Community Led Housing. At this stage, it's about making sure we have a skilled and experienced Community Organiser in place to deliver the plan. Read the full plan here.

The Guild has been working tirelessly for over a decade to create a meaningful impact on affordable rent. If we don't act now the moment is lost forever. 

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY LAND TRUST?

Community Land Trusts are land or buildings held in trust by local people rather than private owners, developers or the state. These trusts have a special asset lock which unlike land owned by local authorities means that they can never be bought by private developers and the rent would never be able to go beyond what local people say is fair and affordable.

WHY DO WE NEED A COMMUNITY LAND TRUST?

The story of Len Maloney and JC Motors is just the tip of the iceberg. The most common issue to come back from listening to Guild members ever since our founder's meetings in 2010 is the worsening availability of affordable space. 

Small businesses are under more pressure than ever. Rising energy costs, an unstable economy and government and now commercial rent in is back to pre-pandemic levels and set to keep rising. With business rates linked to rental value these increases are punishing. It's no surprise that there were more than 105,000 UK business closures in the first quarter of 2023. The outdated system is crushing the essential part of the economy that actually sustains local communities.

The property sector is a large part of this outdated system, steeped in the centuries-old culture of a zero-sum game which dictates that renters pay more than they can afford via a “market rent” which is easily manipulated by large landlords and developers so that they can increase their profits. Often and particularly in London these profits go to overseas tax havens. According to a Trust for London report, there are 42,500 properties in London Registered offshore.

By working together we can change the rules at a local level. We can create permanently affordable spaces for the diverse communities of East London, providing accessible premises for meaningful livelihoods and well-being in the East End for generations to come!

IT'S TIME FOR US TO BE THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE!