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Friday, 29 March 2024

Andy Lloyd

Community Led Homes Accredited Adviser

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Cumbria Community Land Trust Case Studies

Keswick Community Housing Trust (KCHT)

 

Allerdale District

www.keswickcommunityhousingtrust.co.uk

Town population: 4,821

 

Origin: In 2009 members of Keswick Churches Together consulted their community and identified the shortage of local affordable homes as the top concern and decided to take practical action. The town has a low wage, tourism and retail based economy and a long standing shortage of affordable homes. Most of the council housing was sold off through the ‘right to buy’ with many of these becoming second homes. With the help of the local CLT enabler, Andy Lloyd and Impact Housing Association, having started with no money, land or experience the community built their first scheme of eleven affordable homes at The Hopes. They have since gone on to convert four flats for single people at Banks Court, and are currently constructing twenty two more homes at Calvert Way.

Photo courtesy of the Keswick Reminder. December 2013 opening of the The Hopes scheme.

 

Chair Bill Bewley says “This has been a real team effort with every trustee playing an important part. We know the lack of affordable homes is an issue for many communities. This affects families, employers and employees, and results in crazy situations where even people on reasonable middle incomes spend large chunks of their time and money travelling back to places of work – as happens with teachers at Keswick School. It’s common sense to see that new secure affordable homes will have a stabilising effect on the whole community. So we are very keen to help others achieve what we have!”

 

The Trustees motivation was to:

 

a) Provide affordable homes in Keswick which would be protected for future generations. 

b) Maximise affordability – keeping rents low and, for shared ownership, selling a higher share instead of charging rent on top of a mortgage.

c) Act as champions for affordable housing increasing support within the community

 

Company form: Registered Society with exempt charity status able to raise investment via community shares and to receive charitable donations. 

 

Type of CLT: ‘hands on’ developing and owning their own schemes.

 

Housing management: The Trust budgeted to contract out housing management to a Housing Association but have opted to manage the homes themselves for now.

 

Scheme 1 – The Hopes: 

Photo: Andy Lloyd with residents Gary and Lucy Wilson and children, and chairman Bill Bewley. The Wilsons “We have a beautiful home with plenty of space especially for the children. A private garden has been the icing on the cake. We would thoroughly recommend buying from a CLT as it is the only way we could have any form of ownership in Keswick.”

The land: St John’s Church recommended that the Diocese should sell part of the graveyard which was unsuitable for burial. 11 plots were sold at £10,000 each which enabled the homes to be affordable and provided the Church with an endowment for the upkeep of the graveyard.

 

The scheme:

11 three bedroom homes 85m2 each

1 local occupancy for sale for cross subsidy

5 rented homes c £500pm

5 shared ownership homes 50% market value £110,000ea with no rent charged on unsold equity.

 

Unique aspects: 

a) St John’s Church persuaded Carlisle Diocese to sell land unsuitable for burial to the trust.

b) The Trust raised £60,000 towards purchase of the site via a community share issue

c) No rent is charged on the unsold equity for the shared ownership homes.

 

Project support: CLT enabler Andy Lloyd and Impact Housing Association

Project management: KCHT

Legals: Anthony Collins, Brockbanks

Architect: Day Cummins

QS: Donleys

Constructor: Atkinsons

 

Finance: Start up - CLT Network, Local Authority, Town Council, local charities. Development – Homes and Communities Agency grant, sales of shared ownership and local occupancy homes, Cumberland Building Society development loan and residual mortgage repaid through rents.

 

Economic benefit: The scheme put £1.4m into the local economy. The affordability and low running cost of the homes released disposable income for the families.

 

Scheme 2 - Banks Court:

 

Photo: September 2015 opening: KCHT Trustee Jo Brand, chairman Bill Bewley, Trustee Wendy Bewley with Graeme Wilson, Head of Housing and Health, Allerdale Borough Council 

 

Details

4 single persons flats rents £320pm

 

Unique aspect: On the strength of the success of The Hopes Allerdale Borough Council made an asset transfer of Banks Court toilet block for £1 which the Trust converted to four single persons flats.

 

Project management: KCHT

 

Constructor: Atkinsons

 

Finance: Homes and Communities Agency grant, Cumberland Building Society loan.

 

 

Scheme 3 - Calvert Way: 

 

 

 

Completed in 2017, a new estate of 55 houses includes 22 owned and managed by Keswick Community Housing Trust. KCHT was invited to share the site with Impact Housing who will also provide 23 houses for rental. The Trust the Trust received 110 applications - five for every home  being built.

The land: The opportunity arose through the relationships already established with Impact HA and Atkinsons Construction. Atkinsons had secured the site and invited Impact HA to take on the affordable homes. Impact then invited KCHT to develop half of the site.

 

The scheme:

22 homes - 11 rented / 11 shared ownership

 

Project management: KCHT

Architect: Day Cummins

Constructor: Atkinsons

 

Finance: Homes and Communities Agency grant, sales, Unity Trust Bank development loan and residual mortgage.

 

The trust is currently progressing a fourth affordable town center development (November 2020)

 

The Lyvennet Community Trust (LCT)

 

Stoneworks Garth, Crosby Ravensworth

Eden District

Housing development and Butchers Arms community pub

www.lyvennetcommunitytrust.org

www.lyvennetcommunitypub.com/aboutlcp.html

Village population: 517

 

Origin: The Community Plan identified concern about the lack of local affordable housing which led to a housing needs survey which identified 23 households in need. In January 2009, at an open community housing meeting chaired by the Parish Council, CLT enabler Andy Lloyd introduced the concept of Community Land Trusts (CLT). Interested members of the community formed a steering group which included County, District and Parish Councillors and led to the formation of the Lyvennet Community Trust. The steering group took on the challenge of redeveloping a large derelict industrial site in the village centre which eventually became the award winning Stoneworks Garth development. Separately the community organised a community buy out of the Butchers Arms which they then renovated and re-opened as a thriving concern.

Photo - Derek Horn: October 2012 scheme opening, from the left chairman David Graham MBE, trustees Cameron and Kitty Smith, Roger Bird, Jill Winder, Cllr Joan Rayne, centre Allan Foster of the Homes and Communities Agency, trustee Sue Ferguson, Cumbria Rural Housing Trust CLT Officer Andy Lloyd, Lynne McKenzie of Eden Housing Association, Simon Thorrington of Charity Bank, trustees Annie Kindleysides and Doug Henderson, Mike Story of Donelys QS and Rory Stuart MP. 

Company forms: LCT is a company limited by guarantee registered as a charity. Lyvennet Community Pub is an Industrial & Provident Society.

 

Type of CLT: ‘Hands on’ developing and owning their own schemes.

 

Housing management: Contracted to Eden Housing Association.

 

The land: With Eden District planners the community identified a number of sites around the village suitable for affordable housing. The community opted to focus on a large derelict industrial site in the village center. On the strength of the Trust’s business plan the Community Land Trust Fund was able to provide a loan facility which enabled the Trust to agree the purchase of the site from the owners.  

 

The scheme:

10 rented homes

2 bed 80m2 £108.44wk over 48wks

3 bed 96m2 £122.10wk over 48wks

 

Unique aspects:

a) 7 self build plots and 2 market homes were sold to cross subsidise 10 affordable homes.

b) The trust voluntarily added local occupancy restrictions covenanted into title of the market homes and self build plots.

c) Big Society Vanguard - The LCT affordable housing scheme along with other community projects; pub cooperative, anaerobic digester, nursery provision etc were seen as inspirational by local MP, Rory Stewart. In July 2010 the Eden Valley was selected as one of four vanguard groups for the initiative and was the only completely community driven pilot.

d) Redevelopment of a large derelict industrial site

e) Separately organising a community buy out of the Butchers Arms and renovating and re-opening the pub as a thriving concern.

 

Project support: CLT enabler Andy Lloyd and Eden Housing Association

 

Project management: LCT

Constructor: Atkinsons

 

Finance: Start up - CLT Network, Local Authority, Parish Council, fund raising. Development – Homes and Communities Agency grant, sales of 7 plots and 2 houses, Charity Bank development loan and residual mortgage.

Witherslack CLT

 

South Lakeland District

Village population: 499

 

Origin: Witherslack CLT was established in 2006 to develop assets required by the community following the completion of a Parish Plan and housing needs survey. The trustees have a wide variety of skills - from accountancy to archaeology - and range in age from 30's to 50's, with people of 20’s and teens actively sought.

 

The first project undertaken was the purchase and renovation of the closed village pub which was then leased out as a going concern with an associated shop co-operative.

 

In 2007 the trust moved on to identify a small site for the development of 2 affordable self built homes. Two families were identified through an anonymous process with the help of Cumbria Rural Housing Trusts Rural Housing Enabler. The Trust, the National Park and the self builders were all keen to develop eco homes. Full planning permission was granted in December 2012, with no objections from the community. The two homes were completed to Passiv House specifications and occupied in 2015. The land was gifted and the self builders have freehold ownership with covenants for affordability in perpetuity which locks out the land value providing a form of shared ownership scheme.  

 

Nick Stanley chair of the Witherslack Community Land Trust comments, “It has been a long and winding road to get this far. We know that these issues face most villages in the UK, but hit particularly hard in the national parks. We hope that our work will have some, small influence on Government in all its forms, and that they will now accept that many of rural England's problems are solvable by the communities themselves, and move to actually support and encourage such actions.”

 

Company form: Company limited by guarantee

Type of CLT: ‘Hands on’ developing and owning their own schemes.

Approach to housing management: Via the CLT

The land: Gifted by Witherslack Estate

The scheme: Two low cost purchase homes completed

Unique aspects: Free land, self funded through mortgages

Project support: CLT Officer Andy Lloyd

Project management: WCLT

Architect: Andrew Yates, Eco Arc.

Constructor: Local builder. 

Finance: The pub - loans from local people, loans from the Co-Op Bank, and £10,000 grant from South Lakeland District Council from second home council tax receipts used to employ a project worker. The houses - self funded through mortgages.

Skelwith & Langdale CLT (SLCLT)

South Lakeland District

www.slclt.org.uk

 

In July 2013 the Trust completed it’s first project; the refurbishment and letting of Church Hall Cottage which had been empty for two years, in Chapel Stile Village where holiday homes make up 67% of the housing stock (and 82% in Elterwater). The Diocese of Carlisle owns the house and agreed to lease it to SLCLT. 

 

SLCLT is currently negotiating purchase of a plot of land at Skelwith Bridge with the aim of leasing the development of four rented homes to Two Castles Housing Association.

 

Village population: 190

Origin: Local people met to discuss self build. Sites proved difficult to find and the Church House opportunity presented itself.

Company form: Community Interest Company

Type of CLT: ‘Hands on’ developing and leasing their own scheme.

Approach to housing management: Via the CLT

The building: Leased from the Diocese

The scheme: 1 house renovated

Unique aspects: The house was saved from being sold on the open market and made available to a local family at an affordable rent.

Project support: CLT enabler Andy Lloyd

Project management: SLCLT

Constructor: Local builder

Finance: Set up grants from the Tudor Trust (now via the National CLT Network), South Lakeland District Council and Lake District National Park. Grant towards refurbishment was provided by the Government Empty Homes Programme and by South Lakeland District Council and the Lake District National Park.

 

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