Brick by brick, loaf by loaf: Inspiration from Home Baked CLT
The Bakery on match day
How Anfield hit its stride - with great pies!
We were recently lucky to host a discussion with Paul Kelly from Liverpool based Home Baked Community Land Trust, which was part of York Design week. The plus side of it being online was that it was attended from people much further afield than York, giving us the chance to share ideas and experience with people from across the UK. Paul gave us a fascinating insight into how a modest community bakery next to Anfield football ground in Liverpool has catalysed community-led regeneration in the area.
The early story is a familiar one, the area having fallen victim to numerous top-down regeneration schemes which failed to fly, aimed at reversing several decades of decline. Twenty years of grand masterplanning and poor community engagement had created a sense of drift towards further decline, and a feeling that local people didn’t matter. Exasperated by the lack of progress, a small group of residents got together and decided to take matters into their own hands.
Eventually, in 2010, locals managed to rent a bakery whose owners were planning to retire, and once installed, created a community bakery which doubled up as a base to develop ideas about how the community could turn their neighbourhood around. The bakery proved popular and profitable, spurring on the creation of Home Baked CLT, which looked at acquiring empty or underused premises for community use.
Building the High Street
YoCo has been so inspired by the success and vision behind Home Baked, as it is well on the way to achieving our vision - harnessing the passion and skills of local people to build spaces for people to live, work, create and have fun while keeping profits local. Ten years on, Home Baked has renovated the two storeys above the bakery, training and employing local people to create high quality accommodation. The local authority has gifted twelve derelict houses nearby to the CLT which they will develop into homes and community business spaces alongside an adjoining open space for community use. This is truly building a high street to meet local needs, and credit to the local council for having the confidence to step back and let the community get on with it.
Agitation followed by collaboration
It was fascinating to hear Paul talk us through the journey of Home Baked, and we were eager to hear how they did it. While we appreciate every neighbourhood is unique, there are some parallels between Anfield and York Central, not least proximity to City centre location and football! It was clear that what started out as agitation - pushing local powers-that-be to give the community a crack at regeneration - has now become a mutually respectful and collaborative relationship between all parties. The Home Baked approach is now embedded in the solutions for future regeneration of the area, with a view to scaling up and scaling out the community-led model.
What can Yoco learn from Home Baked?
Well, plenty actually. Taking several leaves out of their book we can….
Start a conversation with the local authority about how the community can be part of the solution for the area - be confident!
Start the ball rolling by securing a base to develop ideas about how a community-led neighbhourhood could look - be brave!
Keep the social aspect central to what we do, and keep building those local relationships
Work with local talent, but also bring in talent from further afield if necessary
Keep the ethos and vision for YoCo even if activity is scaled up - don’t sell out!
Use art as a driver for change - there’s plenty of brilliant creative folks in York
Build networks with local independent businesses
Create a narrative around YoCo - it’s the stories that bring it all alive
So where do we go from here?
It’s becoming increasingly clear that, in a post-Covid world, the community-led approaches’ time has come. We need to take the bull by the horns and challenge current practises. We need 21st century solutions for the very 21st century problems of unaffordable housing, inequality and climate change. There’s no reason why the community right here in York can’t galvanise the collective passion, skills and vision to make a truly co-owned neighbourhood a reality. The first step should be a conversation between City of York Council and Liverpool City Council to share ideas and experiences so we can really start to move forward. YoCo is up for the challenge, and will be keen to start pursuing this idea. We’re planning to set up a Company Limited by Guarantee to give our work accountability and transparency.
We’re grateful to Paul for sharing his experiences, and inspired to hear what can be done with vision, determination and courage. Now we need to up our game. Are you with us? If so, jump on board by getting in touch via this website. There’s much to do, so let’s roll our sleeves up and get on with it!
(Thumbnail image provided by Home Baked CLT)