The Church of England Is Closing In on 2,000 New Homes on Its Own Land

• The Archbishops’ Council Housing Project has nearly 2,000 homes in progress
• More than 1,000 affordable homes are going through the Church Development Agency
• Grants of £1.2m have gone to 54 projects
• 85 parishes have received advice and 42 churches technical support

The Church of England’s push to build on its own land is starting to show results, Christian Today reported in September 2026. The Archbishops’ Council Housing Project, set up in 2024, is working towards nearly 2,000 new homes, 1,952 once new projects are included.

More than 1,000 of those are affordable homes being delivered through the Church Development Agency. Behind the headline figure is a lot of work at parish level: the project has advised 85 parishes, distributed £1.2 million in grants across 54 projects, and given technical expertise to 42 churches in 10 dioceses.

The project grew out of the 2021 report of the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing, Church and Community, Coming Home, which urged the Church to “lead by example” by developing affordable housing on land it already owns.

Guli Francis-Dehqani, the Bishop of Chelmsford, who has led the Church’s housing work, said the benefits go beyond bricks and mortar: “Housing projects can have a catalytic effect on participating churches; not only do they provide much-needed homes, they also provide missional opportunities and strengthen the church’s reputation in the community.”

For Jamaica, the approach is instructive because it works parish by parish. Many Jamaican congregations own a spare lot, an old manse site or unused glebe, but lack the money and expertise to do anything with it. A central fund that pays for feasibility studies and professional advice, backed by a denomination-wide plan, is exactly the kind of support that could turn idle church land in Jamaica into affordable homes, while the church keeps its presence and its title.

Follow Jamaica Homes on Youtube @jamaicahomes and Instagram @jamaica_homes and on Facebook @jamaicahomesnews Send us a message or email us at onlinefeedback@jamaica-homes.com or editor@jamaica-homes.com