The NW3 Community Land Trust (CLT) is preparing to begin construction on a 14-flat development at 31 Daleham Gardens in Belsize Park, marking a significant milestone after a decade of community-led planning. The project will deliver eight affordable homes and six market-rate homes, according to Sanya Polescuk, a trustee of The Belsize Society and co-founder of NW3 CLT.
A Decade of Community-Led Planning
Polescuk co-founded NW3 Community Land Trust in 2016 with the goal of reversing the ongoing loss of affordable housing in NW3, one of Camden's highest-value areas. Over the past ten years, more than 200 members have contributed their time, energy, and ideas to the project, participating in meetings, campaigns, and active roles in shaping their neighbourhood.
In a personal reflection, Polescuk drew on her upbringing in Yugoslavia in the 1960s and 1970s, a period she remembers for equality, community, prosperity, and open borders. She noted that after graduating in 1987, she left for the Netherlands and then the UK to practice architecture, and later came to understand the importance of vibrant civic institutions in maintaining a healthy society.
Community Land Trusts as Civic Institutions
Polescuk emphasised that Community Land Trusts are democratic, not-for-profit organisations whose members are ordinary people who live, work, or want to live or work in a particular area. The National CLT Network supports CLTs across the country and advocates for community ownership of affordable housing and land to become more firmly embedded in public policy and market practice.
CLTs acquire and develop land for community benefit, often providing affordable homes, community gardens, pubs, shared workspaces, and other facilities. Crucially, they place control of assets in the hands of local people and can protect them for the long term. In housing, this means homes can remain genuinely affordable not just for the first occupiers but for generations to come.
Building a Stake in the Community
Polescuk argued that civic institutions provide opportunities for people from different backgrounds to meet and work together, across differences of race, class and religion. Such engagement can break down barriers, build trust, and strengthen social cohesion.
The NW3 CLT project at Daleham Gardens is a concrete example of this principle in action. Local people have created a meaningful stake in the places they call home, demonstrating active citizenship. Polescuk invited others to get involved through the NW3 CLT website, nw3clt.org.uk.
The development is set to proceed as one of the few community-led housing projects in the area, with construction expected to begin soon.
