David

Gittisham Community Land Trust June 2021

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Welcome to the June 2021 Newsletter

The Story so far

The project has been 11 years in the making. It began with the identification of the housing need by the local community, through the parish plan back in 2010. From these beginnings, the Community Land Trust has now emerged.

An initial CLT steering group began by identifying the housing need within the parish/village of Gittisham. They held several events in 2016, the outcome of which identified a need for 6 affordable houses for the community. The survey helped crystallise the view that affordable housing was needed to serve the village. The GCLT was formally registered as a Community Benefit Society in October 2018.

The GCLT then undertook a site selection process and evaluated four possible sites in the village. The preferred site was identified as the former farm buildings serving Town Farm on Exeter Hill and was subsequently endorsed by the community at a public meeting. In planning policy terms, there is no clear village boundary. The site sits outside the conservation area but it is washed over by the AONB. It is considered a rural exception site due to the local, affordable housing that it would provide for the community. This is supported in the EDDC local plan strategy 27 and through the recently adopted Affordable Housing, Supplementary Planning Document. The site also benefits from a previous planning permission granted in 1999 for offices and storage buildings. Whilst the currently proposed use for the site is very different to the historic approval, many of the same issues of access and landscape impact remain the same.

Discussions with EDDC Housing resulted in a mix of units, 4 x 2 bed and 2 x 3 bed, being agreed to provide the best balance of accommodation for the need identified. Throughout the project, the land owners, the Combe Estate have been entirely supportive of this community project. They have provided the site and will benefit by the provision of 3 serviced plots for estate usage. They have signed a heads of terms agreement for a conditional land purchase with the CLT. They have also asked the community to lead the project as much as is possible and the architects appointed by the CLT are also acting for the estate. This has all helped derive a scheme that has been directed entirely by the needs of the CLT.

The architect’fs (ECA) have been given a clearly defined brief and a ‘eclean’f site. Following numerous meetings on Zoom the project has evolved into a unique scheme that picks up on aspects of the village in terms of layout, materials, setting and scale.

We are now at a stage where we can present a preferred scheme through a public consultation with the community. The details of the preferred scheme will be on display for public viewing and comment in the Village Hall on Friday 11th June 2021 from 3.00pm to 8.00pm. Representatives from the architects, the GCLT, Combe Estate, and our Housing Association partner, will be on hand to answer questions and receive comments. On behalf of the GCLT I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible.

I anticipate that there will be enquiries about allocation procedures and I will issue more details in the next Newsletter but for the time being here is a very basic summary.

The properties will be allocated through Devon Home Choice. Anyone who wishes to apply for occupancy of one of the dwellings MUST be registered with Devon Home Choice. This process will result in establishing the level of “housing need” that should be allocated to the applicant. Potential applicants are assessed and placed into one of 5 priority bands, ranging from band A (emergency housing need) to band E (no housing need). In addition to “need” applicants will also be required to show that they have a “local connection” to the village and/or parish. A “local connection” is a connection to the “community area” – that is within 1.2 km of St Michaels Church tower as a first priority and to the “adjacent area” which is the rest of the parish and the surrounding parishes (except Honiton town) as a second priority. Within the “local connection” requirement there are also further priorities regarding existing/previous residency or employment within either the community or adjacent areas, e.g.

4.2.1 Persons who have been permanently resident in the “gCommunity Area”h for a continuous period of three years out of the five years immediately prior to the affordable housing being offered to them;

4.2.2 Having his or her place of permanent work (normally regarded as 16 hours or more a week and not including seasonal employment) in the “Community Area” for a continuous period of at least 12 months prior to being offered the affordable dwelling;

4.2.3 Persons who can demonstrate a close family connection to the “Community Area” in that the persons mother, father, son, daughter or sibling has been permanently resident therein for a continuous period of five years immediately prior to the affordable dwelling being offered to them and where there is independent evidence of a caring dependency relationship.

4.2.4 Being formerly permanently a resident in the “Community Area” for a continuous period of five years at some time in the past.

The picture can appear complex and this is a very general summary. It will be formalised in a Housing Allocation Plan which will be endorsed through the Section 106 Agreement which will be attached to the planning permission.

David Valentine
Chairman

Company Secretary:
Helen Hayman, Gittisham Farm, GITTISHAM. EX14 3AX

Gittisham Community Land Trust May 2021

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Welcome to the 2021 Spring Newsletter

I hope you are all safe and well. The last Newsletter was issued in November last year and a lot has taken place over the last 5 months.

Having appointed our architect (ECA Architects) and housing association (South Devon Rural HA) partners, we established a Project Team which includes ECA, SDRHA, Consulting Engineers (Craddy’fs), Combe Estate, 3 members of GCLT Board and Wessex CLT Project (our long suffering adviser’fs). The Project Team meets regularly and the notes of the meeting are circulated to the GCLT Board for information and comment.

The architect has probably been the busiest member of the team with the consulting engineers running a close second.

The site itself presents a number of challenges not least those which relate to finding a point of access which meets highway authority (DCC) standards and how to deal with surface water runoff. There is also an interesting challenge for the architect in that they are having to respond to 3 clients – the expectations of Gittisham CLT, the Combe Estate and the financial constraints imposed on the Housing Association which arise from the Government funding for the construction costs.

The initial work of the Project Team focused on footprint design. A number of options have been assessed and debated within the team. The Zoom channel has been pretty busy! There was an initial brief provided for the architect which, in short, required the architect to come forward with a proposal which respected the sensitivity of the location and the setting of the site in relation to the village and the form of development within the village. Work has now been extended to looking at design, construction and surface materials. The village has a wide range of traditional materials and elements taken from this palette of materials are being considered in the onsite design. Thatch is not on the agenda!!

Alongside the work of the Project Team discussions have continued with EDDC and it has been encouraging to have received support for the GCLT proposals from the Housing department. The normal practice regarding engagement with the Planning department involves the making of a Pre Planning Application (Pre App) submission which outlines the case for the application together with the design evolution and gives the planning officer the opportunity to identify any additional areas of information (or possible areas of amendment) which would benefit the consideration of the planning application following its formal submission. After burning some midnight oil the Pre App submission was made on 25th February. We have now received the Pre App response which has put forward a number of points to consider and concludes:

“The principle of development is acceptable providing the application is accompanied by the relevant needs survey and supporting information. The layout and design may require some alterations however the general concept is supported.”

The  Project Team have submitted further comments addressing the points made within the EDDC response and as mentioned earlier, is now putting together the detail of the dwelling design, ground treatments, on and off site technical infrastructure, landscaping and boundary details etc.. Please don’ft expect ‘eGrand Designs’f and remember that building costs have to be controlled in order that rentals are truly at an affordable level. The full application submission will include the designs for the 3 estate plots (Combe are employing the same architects) so we will have a comprehensive picture of how the development will appear.

A date has now been set for a Public Exhibition displaying all the details of the development including the 3 estate dwellings. This date is 11th June in the Village Hall between 3.00pm and 8.00pm. The architects together with the Housing Association, the Estate, Board members of GCLT and hopefully a representative from EDDC housing, will be in attendance to answer questions. Comments will be recorded and considered after the exhibition date. As an initial stage to this period of public consultation I am circulating details of the proposed site layout and these are attached as a PDF. These details are also being circulated with the May Gazette. If you would like to make any initial comments then please send them to me at .

David Valentine
Chairman

Company Secretary:
Helen Hayman, Gittisham Farm, GITTISHAM. EX14 3AX

CLT November 2020

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Welcome to the 2020 Autumn Newsletter

I hope you are all safe and well.

At the Annual General Meeting held on the 10th November 2020 the following Directors were reappointed:

Maggie Walker
John Adamson
Russell Hayman

The other Directors are:

David Valentine
Helen Hayman
Damian Furniss
Carol Hall
Andy Wilkins
Owen Morgan
Terry Kitchen
Fiona Clampin

Subsequently, the Board has reappointed David as Chairman, Helen as Secretary and Damian as Treasurer.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING WILL START AT 7.00 pm on Tuesday 8 th December (via Zoom – details to follow shortly)

It has been quite a challenging time – I can’ft think why!!! The work of the GCLT has carried on throughout the various lockdowns. We have spent the past 6 months appointing consultants to undertake onsite surveys which are a necessity for the architects and engineers acting on our behalf and are required as part of the package of information required in the preparation of, and, to support the planning application. These surveys are nearly complete. We spent a very interesting time over the summer months looking at a number of architect submissions before we shortlisted, interviewed and subsequently appointed ECA as our architect partner.

More recently we have been interviewing Housing Associations with a view to becoming our partners in constructing and subsequently managing the tenancies of the new dwellings. In this respect we have now appointed South Devon Rural Housing Association. These appointments have enabled us to establish a Project Team which will meet on a monthly basis and which, initially, will inform and take forward the important design stages. The Project Team includes the architects (ECA), the housing association (SDRHA), the engineers (highways, foul and surface water drainage and onsite ground conditions, etc), Wessex CLT Project (our advisers), 3 members from the CLT Board and Combe Estate. The Project Team will report back the GCLT Board.

The land for this development is being provided by the Combe Estate at no cost to the GCLT however the Estate will have the benefit of 3 serviced plots as part of the development. The total number of units to be built will be 9 dwellings (6 for GCLT and 3 for the Estate). The support of the Estate is crucial to this development and it is intended that the planning application will be submitted as a comprehensive development of 9 dwellings. The architects, ECA, are acting on behalf of both GCLT and Combe Estate which makes life a lot easier.

We are now in the design stage and the Project Team will shortly be looking at options prepared by the architects. I am hoping that we can bring forward from the options a Preferred Proposal which we can then present to the community for their comment and endorsement. The details of this public consultation are yet to be finalized but will be advertised widely once we are in a position to satisfy any COVID 19 restrictions.

The progress has been steady over the past 6 months and there are still a number of challenges to overcome. The planning process with EDDC is perhaps the biggest challenge. The case for this development has been informally presented to the Planning Team at EDDC and we will be having pre-application discussions with the officers early next year with a view to presenting a full planning application during Spring 2021.

OK that’fs all for now. There are a number of festive village events coming up in December and it would be nice to say hello and have a chat either virtually or socially distanced in the village – I guess it will depend on which tier we are placed.

David Valentine
Chairman

Company Secretary:
Helen Hayman, Gittisham Farm, GITTISHAM. EX14 3AX

CLT August 2020

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Welcome to the August 2020 GCLT newsletter

Morning everyone. I see most of you around the village and it is a relief to see that the village and Vale is in pretty good health and, as far as I know, Covid-19 free. I thought that I should circulate to you all an update on progress and activity that we within GCLT have been up to since the last March Newsletter.

The direction is, of course, steadily forward together with a lot of paddling going on just beneath the surface.

We were due to have an AGM on 19th March but the “glock down”h prevented that taking place. At the moment the AGM is postponed. The legal basis for the GCLT is that we are registered as a Community Benefit Society and our current society Rules require the society to hold an AGM. In theory, therefore, a decision to postpone the AGM would mean that the society is in breach of its Rules and Members of the society could challenge the CLT through the courts on this point. I would hope that this is unlikely given the circumstances but it would be good practice to invite you as Members to comment should you so wish. Any comments to .

An important item on an AGM agenda is the approval of the annual accounts. In the absence of an AGM the annual accounts for 2018/19 have been submitted to FCA and HMRC and the accounts for 2019/20 are currently in preparation. The 2018/19 accounts, in reality, covered a mainly dormant accounting period which was reflected in the returns. As far as the 2019/2020 returns are concerned the vast majority of accountancy has been in respect of income from grants received together with minimal expenditure. 2020/2021 will look a little different as we have appointed solicitors to act on our behalf and are now in the process of appointing architects and site investigation consultants. These consultants will be preparing reports on ground investigations, ecology, trees and other engineering and topographical detail – all essential items which will inform the design process.

The site investigation works are due to commence during August and we hope that architects will be appointed early in September. A number of architects have expressed an interest in acting on behalf of GCLT and we will be undertaking an interview process before finalizing the appointment. Once appointed the chosen architects will become part of a Project Team which will include representatives from GCLT, the Housing Association (HA), the architects, Combe Estate and Wessex CLT Project. Other advisors/consultants will be co-opted as necessary. The Project Team will report back to the GCLT Board and the village/parish community will be consulted at appropriate stages during the design process. The work of the Project Team is key to the management of the project throughout the next period prior to and during construction. Within this period the planning application will be submitted. We need to be realistic in our expectations in relation to the completion of the planning process but I would like to set a target of June/July 2021 for this to be concluded.

Once planning permission has been obtained it will be for the HA to apply for the funds to facilitate the construction of the dwellings, to appoint contractors and manage the construction. The level of funding provided by Government for construction may require additional financial support and we have identified 2 potential sources of funding which could help to support the design/construction costs if necessary.

That’fs all for now. Stay safe and well.

David Valentine
Chairman

Email: 

Company Secretary:
Helen Hayman, Gittisham Farm, GITTISHAM. EX14 3AX

CLT March 2020

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Welcome to the March 2020 GCLT newsletter

The following is the Chairman’s Report which will be reported to AGM on Thursday 19th March at 7.30 pm.

Chairman’s Report

In October last year the GCLT Board celebrated its first year of Board activity since being registered with the Financial Conduct Authority as a Community Benefit Society. The registration with the FCA was followed in March by a Special General Meeting which formally appointed the GCLT Board. The GCLT Board has met frequently and attendance has been very good. We have been given full support by Jay Lambe from Wessex CLT Project and Janice Alexander from Devon Communities Together.

It has been a busy period and I would like to thank the Board Directors and our advisers for their hard work and support during the past year.

So what have we achieved – well, we have completed all the legal formalities necessary with the formulation of a CLT, undertaken negotiations with the Combe Estate regarding the identification of a preferred site, this is the former agricultural buildings at Town Farm, and agreed Heads of Terms with Combe Estate for the sale of the site to the GCLT. At a well attended public meeting in May we gained endorsement of the preferred site from the village community. In October we held a housing need “gdrop in”h event to re-establish the level of affordable housing need in the village. In November we successfully submitted a start-up revenue grant application to East Devon District Council and subsequently in December we successfully applied for a second stage grant.

The identification and subsequent endorsement by the community of the preferred site was a key event in the year which provided confidence and momentum for the CLT Board.

The “drop in” event held on 10th October focused on revisiting the key area of understanding the level of housing need within the village and its surrounding area. A number of households came along and were able to have a discussion with Janice Alexander from Devon Communities Together. The results confirmed that the affordable housing need of 6 units previously identified 3 years ago, continues to be the case. This result provided a further confidence boost for the Board and together with the successful grant applications the Board has been able to progress with the appointment of solicitors and accountants to act on behalf of the CLT.

In order for the Board to progress with the appointment of a Housing Association (HA) partner – it is the HA that constructs the dwellings – it has been necessary to prepare an Allocation Plan. This has to be agreed with EDDC and the HA and will ultimately become an integral part of the Section 106 Agreement which will accompany the planning permission. Any person who applies for an affordable dwelling must show that they are in Housing Need and that they have a Local Connection. The Allocation Plan sets out the criteria which will be taken into account when allocating the dwellings when they are ready for occupation. All applicants must be registered with Devon Home Choice. The initial priority is to establish an applicant’fs level of need. Once this is established the local connection criteria can then be applied. After careful consideration the Board at its last meeting agreed a draft Allocation Plan which will be submitted to EDDC for consideration after this AGM. There is an item on this agenda which seeks to clarify an aspect of the local connection criteria.

Work has already commenced in preparing documents for issuing to architects and Housing Associations inviting expressions of interest in working in partnership with GCLT. Later this year consultants will be appointed to undertake site investigations and a Project Team will be established which will co-ordinate the day to day progress with the initial objective of submitting a planning application. The Project Team will report back to the CLT Board.

There will be a further public meeting to enable the community to view and comment on designs which come forward for development of the site.

There has been an ongoing positive relationship with the Combe Estate over the past 12 months and their support for this project has been a key factor in achieving the progress made so far.

My final thanks goes to you, the Gittisham community, for your continuing support for this project. This is a community led project and without your support we would not have been able to achieve the progress made over the past 12 months. Thank you.

There is a lot to be done and the prospect of many obstacles to overcome but, on behalf of the GCLT Board, I am confident that we will be able to maintain the momentum currently in place and I look forward to providing a similar positive report in 12 months time.

David Valentine
Chairman

Email: 

Company Secretary:
Helen Hayman, Gittisham Farm, GITTISHAM. EX14 3AX

CLT November 2019

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Welcome to the November 2019 GCLT newsletter

The GCLT Board recently celebrated its first year since being registered with the Financial Conduct Authority as a Community Benefit Society in October 2018.

CONGRATULATIONS

It has been a busy year and I would like to thank the Board Directors and our advisers at Wessex CLT Project and Devon Communities Together for their hard work and support during the past year.

So what have we achieved – well we have completed all the legal formalities necessary with the formulation of a CLT, undertaken negotiations with the Combe Estate regarding the identification of a preferred site and agreed Heads of Terms for the sale of the site to the GCLT, gained endorsement of the preferred site from the village community, held a housing need “gdrop in”h event to re-establish the level of affordable housing need in the village and successfully submitted a start-up revenue grant application to East Devon District Council. Given the complexity of many of the issues that is a pretty good return for a 12 month period.

The “drop in” event held on 10th October focused on revisiting the key area of understanding the level of housing need within the village and its surrounding area. A number of households came along and were able to have a discussion with Janice Alexander from Devon Communities Together. The results confirmed that the affordable housing need of 6 units previously identified 3 years ago, continues to be the case. This result provides the necessary confidence boost for the Board to progress with the appointment of solicitors, accountants, the Housing Association (HA) partner, architects and consultants to undertake all the necessary site investigations. I can visualize an awful lot of paperwork heading in my direction over the next few months!!

An important document that we are working on at the present is the Allocations Plan. This has to be agreed with EDDC and the HA and will ultimately become an integral part of the Section 106 Agreement which will accompany the planning permission.

Any person who applies for an affordable dwelling must show that they are in Housing Need and that they have a Local Connection. The Allocations Plan sets out the criteria which will be taken into account when allocating the dwellings when they are ready for occupation. All applicants must be registered with Devon Home Choice. The initial priority is to establish an applicant’fs level of need. Once this is established the local connection criteria can then be applied. I have raised a number of questions about how appropriate the current EDDC criteria would be when applied in the Gittisham context and I am now awaiting some clarifications.

It should be remembered, of course, that there are 6 potential applicants as a result of the “gdrop in”h event who meet the current criteria.

Well we need a bit more grant to fund all the above and so it’fs back to another application form!!

Oh yes, just in case you have not noticed Christmas is on the way so on behalf of the GCLT Board I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

David Valentine
Chairman

Email: 

Company Secretary:
Helen Hayman, Gittisham Farm, GITTISHAM. EX14 3AX

CLT September 2019

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Welcome to the Autumn 2019 GCLT newsletter

I hope that you have enjoyed a very nice summer. I suspect that this next 12 months is going to be busy time for the GCLT.

As you may be aware, a housing need survey was carried out in Gittisham in 2016 which identified the need for 6 affordable homes in the parish.  Gittisham Community Land Trust (GCLT) has been formed to undertake the development of these homes. The GCLT has been working closely with the Combe Estate to identify a suitable site for a small development and after a public meeting on 16th May their preferred site (Agricultural Buildings former Town Farm, Exeter Road) was officially endorsed by the majority of those attending.

The Heads of Terms for the acquisition of the site have been agreed.

The next steps are to engage solicitors, consultants, architects and a housing association who will manage the homes and then to submit a planning application to East Devon District Council. A grant application to EDDC to cover the initial financial costs will be submitted shortly.

As Gittisham is a small rural village, the need for these homes must be justified. Therefore as the housing need survey is now over 3 years old and people’fs circumstances may have changed in the intervening years, it has been decided to update the housing need in the parish. As part of this process the GCLT is running a “gdrop-in”h event for anyone interested in affordable housing in the village.

Time & Date : 3 – 7 pm  Thursday 10th October 2019
Venue : Gittisham Village Hall

At this drop-in, representatives from Gittisham CLT and Wessex CLT Project, the Devon Rural Housing Enabler and East Devon District Council Housing Options department will be available to discuss the development and to advise how to register on Devon Home Choice which is the local housing register. All conversations will be held in strictest confidence and no personal data will be passed on to members of the GCLT or Parish Council.

In order to apply for these homes, you would need a local connection to Gittisham, either by residence, employment, upbringing or a family connection. A detailed Allocation Policy is currently being prepared.

It is important that anyone who believes they need affordable rented housing registers on Devon Home Choice as this is where the homes will be advertised and where applicants can apply for them. Early application will enhance the chances of being allocated a home.

If you cannot attend this drop in but would like to register your interest and find out more, please contact Janice Alexander at Devon Communities Together who will be carrying out the housing need update. Janice is available by email at or telephone 01392 248919.

In order to attract interest in this important event details have been advertised in the Gittisham Gazette and an article will be submitted to the Mid Week Herald for publication later in September, however, there are families who have left the village and who may be interested in the proposals that are coming forward but are not on our circulation list or receiving the Herald. Please let Helen Hayman or myself know of anyone you know who might be interested and we will forward details onto them.

David Valentine
Chairman

Email:

Company Secretary:
Helen Hayman, Gittisham Farm, GITTISHAM. EX14 3AX

CLT April 2019

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Welcome to the second GCLT newsletter

At the Special General Meeting held on the 21st March the following Directors were appointed:

David Valentine
Helen Hayman
Damian Furniss
Maggie Walker
John Adamson
Carol Hall
Russell Hayman
Andy Wilkins
Owen Morgan
Terry Kitchen
Fiona Clampin

Subsequently, the Board has appointed David as Chairman, Helen as Secretary and Damian as Treasurer. Membership of the GCLT has been steadily growing and has now reached 70. This represents a large percentage of the village population showing its support for the work that is currently taking place in seeking to provide the village with a small affordable housing scheme.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING WILL START AT 7.00 pm on THURSDAY 9th MAY in the VILLAGE HALL

The ongoing work seeking a suitable site and agreeing Heads of Terms with the Combe Estate has been a positive exercise and a preferred site has now been identified. The Heads of Terms are not legally binding in themselves but set out how and on what basis the agreed land can be disposed of to the GCLT. It is an important part of the process for the preferred site to be endorsed by the parish population and that is the principal reason for the Open Public Meeting on 16th May in the Village Hall at 7.00 pm.

This meeting is a key milestone in the overall timetable and assuming the endorsement of the preferred site, will provide the platform to appoint solicitors, a Housing Association partner and consultants to undertake site surveys and to prepare briefing documentation prior to the appointment of architects. We are currently preparing a grant application to cover some of the initial costs and further grant applications will be made to cover consultant costs etc..  Another key area that the Board will be looking at over the next few months is that of an Allocations Policy to ensure that the properties when built will meet the objective of providing accommodation for the local community.

I have commented in the past of the need to engage with the local community at various key stages in this process. The project must be community led and the forthcoming Open Public Meeting which will focus on the background to the recommendation identifying the preferred site is another opportunity for the community to show it’fs support for the work of the GCLT Board and it’fs adviser’fs.

OPEN PUBLIC MEETING IN THE VILLAGE HALL AT 7.00pm on THURSDAY 16th MAY

The GCLT are continuing to promote its work and extend its current membership. If you are interested in becoming a member then please contact Helen Hayman, the CLT secretary, or indeed any of the other Board members. Application forms are on the website (www.gittisham-clt.org.uk).

David Valentine
Chairman

Company Secretary:
Helen Hayman, Gittisham Farm, GITTISHAM. EX14 3AX

CLT March 2019

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Welcome to the first GCLT newsletter

What are Community Land Trusts (CLT)

A CLT is a non-political not-for-profit organization established to provide benefits to a local community.

They usually start by focusing on the provision of affordable housing, but they can also facilitate the provision of other community benefits.

The legal framework within which the Gittisham (GCLT) is managed is that of a Community Benefit Society (CBS) and the £￿ shares which you have acquired gives you membership of the CBS. We currently have 60 members. This represents a large percentage of the village population showing its support for the work that is currently taking place in seeking to provide the village with a small (6 units of rented accommodation) residential scheme. The work of a CLT has to be community led and this is a fantastic start. Thank you.

So what happens next?

Once the new Board has been elected on Thursday 21st March the ongoing work seeking a suitable site and agreeing Heads of Terms with the Combe Estate will continue. The Heads of Terms are not legally binding in themselves but set out how and on what basis the agreed land can be disposed of to the GCLT. Once the Heads of Terms are in place the CLT Board will come back to the community with its recommendation for the preferred site and seek the community’s endorsement to proceed. The CLT will employ consultants and architects to help with the design of the scheme in preparation for the planning application.

Where does the funding come from?

The Board will be making an application for ‘eStart Up Funding which can be obtained from EDDC. Additional grant applications can be made at appropriate stages during the process. The Community Housing Fund is a Government initiative which was first launched in 2016 to support communities to bring forward affordable housing through the CLT process. EDDC were a beneficiary of this fund and currently hold a significant sum of money which they can redistribute as grants to CLT’fs. Homes England is the national housing and regeneration agency for England and administers Community Housing Funds which were part of a range of Government announcements made in 2018. There is no shortage of funds which can be accessed for this type of community-led project. Additionally, there are funds which can be accessed by a partner Housing Association. Selecting a Housing Association partner will be another task following the agreement Heads of Terms.

Where is the Board getting advice from?

The GCLT is being supported by Wessex CLT Project, an organization who provide technical advice and support to CLT groups. They are currently supporting 45 groups across the south west and they have an excellent record of meeting their delivery objectives. We are also supported by Devon Communities Together.

The GCLT are continuing to promote its work and extend its current membership. If you are interested in becoming a member then please contact Helen Hayman, the CLT secretary, or indeed any of the other Board members.

Application forms are on the website (www.gittisham-clt.org.uk).

David Valentine
Chairman

Company Secretary:
Helen Hayman, Gittisham Farm, GITTISHAM. EX14 3AX

Gittisham Christmas Concert

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Sunday 3rd December 2023 at 16:00 in Gittisham St Michael’s Church

Come and join us in our beautiful church as we begin the lead up to Christmas. We are presenting a lovely festive concert suitable for all ages with professional singers. Join us in our carol singing and enjoy a drink and a mince pie. There will also be a prize draw with a splendid lunch for two to be won at The Pig’s Folly. Book early to avoid disappointment! The proceeds will be shared between Force Cancer Charity and St Michael’s Church, Gittisham.