Community House Hubs

This case study shows how flexible community spaces can be made available simply, by repurposing existing buildings.

Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

About

Community House Hubs can take many forms, and this can be a house or flat made available for use by the community – in other words, a ‘community house’.

Project details

Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH) has provided a Community House Hub as part of the St Paul’s Regeneration Project. It has a kitchen, two separate spaces for the community to use, and office space for neighbourhood staff from CBH. It provides a local point of contact between CBH and tenants, as well as provide a base from which staff can carry out community and youth work in the neighbourhood.

First Choice Homes, in Oldham, have similarly made a couple of flats available for resident groups to use for meetings, activities and a community café.

Key Details

Who are the key stakeholders involved?

Cheltenham Borough Homes

So what?

Key learning

The simplicity of the idea is what makes this project special. Taking an asset that the housing association already owns and creating a shared space for the community to come together means that activities, support and community cohesion are all possible in a neighbourhood.

Source/s of information:

1. Cheltenham Borough Homes https://www.cbh.org/services/your-community/community-hubs/
2. Barnwood Trust “Inspiring Community Spaces” report http://www.barnwoodtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Inspiring-Community-Spaces-Electronic-Spreads.pdf