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2026 Festival

Home>Calendar of events>Building for Community: Ownership and land

Building for Community: Ownership and land

Talk
  • Date and time: Tuesday 2 June 2026, 6pm to 8pm
  • Location: In-person only
    The Angel On The Green, Bishopthorpe Road (Map)
  • Admission: Free admission, booking recommended

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Event details

York’s affordability crisis is pushing people and communities out of the city, making it harder for key workers, hospitality staff and people in the arts and social enterprise sectors to thrive. However, housing is not the only land-related challenge; the high cost of commercial property also limits the availability of spaces for charities and community-owned spaces.

Join YorSpace, a Community Benefit Society and Community Land Trust, as they share their mission to shift ownership and agency of our built environment in the city. Through forming co-operatives, launching community share offers and advising businesses, they aim to challenge the way we look at the property market.

Drawing on lessons from Lowfield Green, YorSpace’s first affordable, environmentally friendly housing development, this event will explore practical alternatives to private ownership and dive into the impact that community stewardship of land can have on our local economy, relationships, and environment.

Please note: Booking is encouraged but is not mandatory. As space is limited, priority will be given to those who have booked.

This event is presented by YorSpace.

About the speakers

James Neward
YorSpace chief Operating Officer and co-founder
James is a chartered designer and project manager with expertise in low carbon architecture, retrofit & community led projects - experienced in delivering a range of residential and commercial projects. He works nationally with the Confederation of Co-operative Housing to provide retrofit advisor services to the co-operative housing sector. James works with co-operative partners to build low carbon, affordable communities shaped by the people that will live there. He is an accredited Community Led Housing enabler experienced in working with a range of community led housing groups across Yorkshire and beyond.
Susannah Bird
YorSpace co-founding Director
Sue co-founded YorSpace because she believes that houses should be built by the people who live in them and that this will create warm and thriving communities that will benefit everyone. She continues to work to bring Lowfield Green to completion which she hopes will be the first of many similar developments across York. Sue is a biological scientist by profession and enjoys applying her skills in innovation and practical problem solving from the sciences to tackle the problems of community-led housing.

Partners

Venue details

  • Wheelchair accessible