Witton Lodge Community Association: making a success of community ownership

Learning points

Some of the most important learning points have included:

• Residents have genuinely been in the lead and at the heart of community transformation

• Creative solutions, not just on the part of Birmingham City Council but by the residents themselves, have come from thinking outside the box

• Huge advantages have come from long-term business planning, not just short-term reactions

• Treating the community both as a partner and a resource can bring great achievements

• Building the community from within has led to much more social sustainability:

  “We would have failed if we had just built houses – we hope we have created homes”

• Economic sustainability of activities on the estate has benefited from developing mixed tenure

• A genuine regeneration partnership with residents at the centre meant looking well beyond issues of just ‘bricks and mortar’