Launch of the Upcycling Trust project in Ghent
EU partners and policymakers support CLTs’ potential for just retrofit
On 1 April 2025, the Upcycling Trust project partners CLTs from Ghent, Brussels, Cork, and the OFS from Lille and Rennes, held a high-impact conference at Ghent City Hall.
Energy requirements and housing affordability: what is the Upcycling Trust project?
The Upcycling Trust project is a consortium of Community Land Trusts (CLTs) and Organismes de Foncier Solidaire (OFS) from Cork, Ghent, Lille, Rennes, and Brussels, funded by Interreg NWE. This model upgrades homes to meet modern energy efficiency standards while safeguarding housing affordability: the investment that is needed for the energy renovation is combined with the integration of the renovated home into the Community Land Trust, thus making it affordable forever. The application of circular renovation methods ensures the long-term sustainability of the renovated homes, and the impact of the initial investment increases significantly, as decarbonisation is combined with decommodification.
Operating in Belgium, France, and Ireland, the project demonstrates how CLTs and Organismes de Foncier Solidaire(OFS) can accelerate the Just Transition while addressing the housing crisis for low-income households.
“If affordability of housing is a struggle for Europeans, it is a struggle for Europe as well”
Matthew Baldwin, Director of the European Commission’s Housing Task Force, speaker at the conference and citing President Ursula von der Leyen
Shaping the future of housing within the EU policy framework
The conference was held in the context of national implementation of the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), and highlighted how Community Land Trusts are a truly valuable tool to support the directive’s goals while safeguarding housing affordability for low-income and vulnerable households.
Showcasing the growing importance of CLTs at the EU level, featured speakers included Filip Watteeuw (Groen), Matthew Baldwin (EU Commission Housing Task Force), Keti Tskitishvili (Executive Director, ECLTN) and Sorcha Edwards (Secretary General, Housing Europe), all of whom underscored the transformative potential of CLTs and OFS as long-term, systemic solutions that link social justice with climate action.