The Open City Stewardship Awards

This project was shortlisted in the Social Stewardship category of the inaugural Open City Stewardship Awards, 2021. Find out more: open-city.org.uk/stewardship-awards

General Information

The capital’s biggest community-led self-build housing was initiated by the Rural Urban Synthesis Society (RUSS), a members-led Community Land Trust, founded in 2009 with the aim of creating sustainable community-led neighbourhoods and truly affordable homes across London.

RUSS's mission is to reduce our communities’ dependence on fossil fuels, increase food security, encourage biodiversity and provide affordable housing for Londoners. We aim to establish a replicable model in community-led housing that will benefit people currently unable to access housing on the open market. Anyone who supports these aims can become a member; RUSS currently has over 1,000 members.

Our first project is in Ladywell, south-east London, where have built 36 flats on a site at the end of Church Grove, next to the Ravensbourne river. The site was previously occupied by a foundry, and later by a school which relocated in 2003. The land was given on a long lease by Lewisham Borough Council.

Local volunteers organised by RUSS have driven all stages of the process, from forming a group, acquiring land, raising funds, supervising architects and contractors, getting planning permission, and building and landscaping together as a community.
RUSS volunteers, including future residents, co-designed the development, and occupants had the choice of self-building or self-finishing their homes.

Homes at Church Grove range from one to four bedrooms, and are available with different types of tenure: social rented, affordable rented, fixed equity and shared ownership. The leases will ensure that the homes remain affordable in perpetuity.

Residents must demonstrate a strong local connection, and be able to afford a RUSS home but not a property on the open market. The initial allocations were drawn by ballot from a waiting list of RUSS members. The aim is to create a truly mixed community made up of people from diverse backgrounds in the local area.

The group worked with key partners, including the Greater London Authority, the London Borough of Lewisham, the Cooperative Development Society, Triodos Bank, and Big Issue Invest.

The principal architect is Shepherd Epstein Hunter, with contributions from Architype and Jon Broome Associates. The main contractor was ROOFF.

The building includes innovative social and environmental features, including solar panels which feed an air source heat pump producing the communal hot water, a shared laundry and a guest room.

The Community Hub on the Church Grove site was built by over 90 volunteers in 2019, funded by crowdfunding and small grants, and using reclaimed materials. It is available for local groups to hire for community events.

A new public riverside garden and play area is being built as part of the project. It was made possible by a crowdfunding campaign, support from the Tree Council, the Orchard Project, the Woodland Trust and a grant from the Veolia Environmental Trust.

Please note that there is no parking available on Church Grove. Visitors with specific access requirements should email info@theruss.org in advance.