Homebaked started life in 2010 as a project in the old Mitchell’s bakery in the shadow of Anfield’s Kop. Our building, like much of the local area here, had been designated to be demolished under the Housing Market Renewal Initiative (HMRI). Ours was to be the biggest loss of housing and commercial properties in the country, with 1,800 lost homes and spaces to work and exist together. 



The initial project that Homebaked grew from, 2up2down, was supported by the Biennial and initiated by artist Jeanne van Heeswijk, and asked how the local community could take matters into their own hands regarding the development of their neighbourhood and a common future. 



‘What does it mean to live well?’ was the question asked by the project team and the residents involved in 2up2down. 



Homebaked Community Land Trust was born in April 2012 with the aim of refurbishing the bakery building to provide workspace for social enterprise and affordable housing. It is run today by a board of volunteers and a growing collective that includes people from the local area and professionals from the fields of law, architecture, accountancy and housing.



The Homebaked Bakery Co-operative was incorporated in June 2012 by a group of local residents passionate about the possibilities of re-opening the bakery in community ownership, and creating a successful enterprise with social as well as financial value. 



In that time Homebaked CLT have started on a process of designing, planning and learning together with our local community; a project which we named ‘Build your own High Street.’ This project has grown from the model of the bakery, and proposes a larger scheme of community-led development and regeneration of the land adjacent to our building, providing workspace for social enterprise, long-term affordable housing, and communal outdoor space.



This work is led by a group of local people who form the core design team. Together we appointed the Liverpool based architects of Architectural Emporium who are working with us to develop the design for the new scheme. 



Our Cafe and Bakery have become a real hub and a meeting point for the different communities in our area, as well as visitors. Next to the day-to-day business we offer training courses for local people and put on events in the evenings. We also run wholesale and catering business of our pies and sausage rolls and operate a stall most weekends at markets across the region. The cafe is open 6 days a week, employing local people and paying a living wage.