HIGH HAM COMMUNITY LAND TRUST NEWSLETTER – JANUARY 2020
The Board wishes you belated Seasons Greetings and Best Wishes for 2020.
Letter from Bill Bishop – High Ham CLT Chair
Why did I join the CLT in September last year? Well, it all started some 20 years ago when I was the landlord of the Piddle Inn, Piddletrenthide. In the five years of my time at the pub there, there was only one property sold to a local – all the others were sold to people new to the village. This was because the average price of property was more than the young locals could afford, so moving away to buy or ent was the only option to young residents. Most of these would have preferred to stay in the community, and that really got me thinking.
The Daily Telegraph highlighted the plight of Tim, a local national hunt/point-to-point jockey, whose large immediate family all lived in the area. Tim just could not find a home to buy in the village that he could afford, so he rented a cottage in the grounds of a local landowner’s house, and I believe he still lives there today with his own young family.
So when I heard of the CLT in High Ham and what they proposed to do, I just had to get involved. And so far I would not change that decision. We now have a great and enthusiastic group of volunteers and I am sure we will deliver our promise of six affordable homes for the community to rent. I do not wish to see the Piddletrenthide experience happening here in High Ham. We need affordable homes for local people, keeping our community alive.
High Ham CLT – Our Vision – Amanda Chuter, Board Member
Living and working in a rural community is increasingly difficult for many people on lower household incomes, and when there is a shortage of truly affordable homes, the result can be an unbalanced community.
Knowing that more Social Rent Homes are needed in our community, High Ham CLT was formed to do something about it. By providing six homes in our community for people with strong local connections, six more families will have a home they can afford. The homes will be well designed, cheaper to rent than privately rented housing, and will provide safe long-term tenancies, giving six families the chance to put down roots in our community. The land the homes are sited on will be owned by the CLT in perpetuity, and the ground rent received from the leaseholder Housing Association can be used to fund other activities that will benefit our community.
High Ham CLT is not alone in wanting to provide truly affordable homes for their community. According to recent figures from the National CLT Network, there are now more than 290 CLTs in England, half of which formed in the past two years. So far, they have produced more than 1,000 homes and, just as importantly, brought together tens of thousands of people actively looking to build genuinely affordable homes in their communities.
If you know someone who might be interested in becoming a future High Ham CLT tenant, please ensure that they register with the Somerset Homefinder Service at www.homefindersomerset.co.uk
The National CLT Network
High Ham CLT is a member of the National Community Land Trust Network.
The National CLT Network has a very informative website:
http://www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk/
On the website you will find the following information:
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What is a CLT?
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About the Network
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What they do
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National News & Events
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and much more…
How can I find out about the on-going activities of the High Ham CLT?
As well as our periodic newsletters, and occasional articles in Roundabout, we publish regular updates on the Community Land Trust page on the Parish Council website:
https://www.highhamparishcouncil.co.uk/
Email us: highhamclt@outlook.com
Next Public Event
Once the Feasibility Study for the proposed site is complete and the architects have drawn up plans and proposed designs, the CLT will host an event to present this information to the community