This website, launched in February 2007, is brought to you by the Co-ordinating Group for New Housing Areas of Churches Together in England. For information about CTE visit the CTE Web Site.

The challenge and opportunity posed by the new housing areas in England has been considered by the Enabling Group when representatives of denominations at regional and local level meet to discuss life together. This was the body which asked CTE to set up the specific Co-ordinating Group for New Housing Areas. Like the other CTE co-ordinating groups it has sought to bring together a good cross section of key, informed, and helpful representatives from the different church and agency networks concerned with the particular area of concern.

'New Communities' can describe various groups of people, but in this instance we are thinking of how to create communities on the new housing estates which, when first built, do not have a sense of 'community'.

The Co-ordinating Group meets 3 or 4 times a year and holds occasional conferences and regional meetings. It is chaired by Anthea Cox, the Co-ordinating Secretary for Public Life and Social Justice of the Methodist Church in Great Britain.

The Group currently has the following members: Bernadette Askins, Judith Maizel-Long, Simon Ellis, Simon Taylor, Ian Chisnall, Dionne Gravesande, Jim Currin (secretary) Jim Bryden, John Cole, Steve Williams, Juliet Kilpin and Bill Snelson (General Secretary of CTE).

The Group was given the following brief by the Enabling Group:

At a time of rapid housing expansion, the Group aims to provide information and stimulus for Churches as they consider appropriate forms of mission and engagement with the new communities being created.

Terms of reference:

• To work ecumenically, with other faiths and with other agencies to ensure the spiritual aspirations of new communities are addressed at all stages.
  
  
• To bring a Christian vision to policy debate, to influence government at all levels and other organisations in the holistic planning of new communities.
  
  
• To communicate widely the Church�s vision and role in the development of new communities.
  
  
• To identify opportunities for mission in areas of new housing, to share information and good practice, to facilitate networking between the churches, and actively to promote cross sector working.
  
  
• To bring together resources and other information including diverse funding streams in order to establish a broad picture of current policy and practice and to ensure such is kept up to date.
  
  
• To enable and stimulate reflection on the churches response to new communities, past and present.