Community-led Housing and Self-build - Training Courses
Free Training Courses provided by DDC
A wide range of courses and training sessions are available for anyone embarking on a community-led housing or self-build project. Here at Dover District Council (DDC) we usually provide at least one free training session per month on a range of topics for anyone interested in community-led housing or self-build housing. If you’d like to suggest dates, times or topics for future training sessions, please share your thoughts with us. Or, if you'd like to provide some detailed feedback, please email us at communityhousing@dover.gov.uk.
Many expert organisations also offer courses, some of which are subsidised or free of charge. For courses where there is a charge, the DDC Community Housing Grants Scheme can provide funding if the intended project will provide community-led, affordable housing in the district.
DDC Community Housing and Self-build Forum
Join the online forum to meet and network with other like-minded groups and individuals. You'll have a chance to discover the latest Community-led housing and Self-Build news and opportunities, discuss your projects or ideas, and find out how to support the movement in your local area.
2023 Sessions will be displayed here shorlty, check back soon!
We'd like to hear from you to help us decide what topics to cover and when to host these sessions, please fill out this online form to give us more inforamtion.
Courses and Events Offered by External Organisations
The following events or resources are organised and provided by external organisations, and further details can be found by following the links below. Dover District Council has no involvement in these events or resources.
My Community offer two great step by step guides for those interested in developing Community-Led Housing.
This is a guide for groups who are considering a particular community-led housing project and looking for practical advice on how to progress it. It can be used by new groups starting a project from scratch or by existing community groups branching out into community-led housing.
This is a guide for groups who have decided to develop a community-led housing project and are looking for practical advice on how to plan it. It can be used by newly established groups, or by existing community groups interested in branching out into the delivery of a community-led housing project.
Use it to help you with planning the detail of your project, but because all projects are different, the advice contained in this guide won’t be definitive. There will be times when you will need to seek further advice or make a judgment about something. That’s part and parcel of a community led housing project.
Self-Build Webinars Catch up
Watch past self-build webinars covering a range of topics at no cost. Webinars range from whether to renovate or rebuild, how to value a plot or demystifying planning. Click on the course title to view all webinars.
Past DDC courses and events
What is Community-led Housing?
DDC hosted a session going into detail about what Community-led Housing is, and how it can benefit local communities. The course went into detail about common legal structures, group vision and values and how to get a group consituted depending on the end goal. Attendees joining in-person and online were able to join workshops to help groups and individuals establish their motivation, vision and values.
The session was led by Debbie Wildridge and Maria Antoniou from Locality.
Past Community Housing Conferences
Each year Dover District Council, in conjunction with neighbouring east kent authorities, hosts an annual Community Housing Conference to provide specialist support and advice from leading national and local experts. Find out more about past community housing conferences below.
Keep Updated
For updates, sign up to the Community-Led Housing topic and the funding newsletter via our Keep Me Posted service.
If you would like to discuss a community-led housing or self-build project, please contact the Community Housing team at communityhousing@dover.gov.uk
This page will be updated with new events in due course. Keep checking back for new updates.