Arundel and South Downs MP Andrew Griffith hosted a roundtable meeting with six Community Land Trusts and the South Downs National Park on Friday (1st October), to discuss their projects delivering genuinely affordable local housing for local people.
The Chairmen and Treasurers from the South Downs-based Community Land Trusts (CLTs) met in Pulborough to share ideas for how community-owned housing is possible with the right support in place. The projects from CLTs in Angmering, Arundel, Pulborough, Slindon and Aldingbourne, Barnham and Eastergate have all been set up to build homes that will stay in the community in the long-term for the benefit of those who live locally. Their projects include a mix of affordable rental homes and shared ownership properties.
The meeting was supported by The South Downs National Park Authority and Action In Rural Sussex (AiRS). The SDNPA are encouraging of the CLT model and have helped to bring 30 houses into community ownership so far, and they welcome more projects coming online.
Andrew is especially supportive of the creation of CLTs, especially in rural areas where new houses are amongst some of the most expensive in the country. He has long-held views that CLTs should be an integral part of the local planning process. At the meeting, Andrew was keen to understand what the challenges are to delivery and has offered his support to take those messages to Government.
Action in Rural Sussex have been providing expert advice and support to the West Sussex CLTs as part of the Community Led Housing strategy. Tom Warder, Community Led Housing Manager for AiRS said:
“It was great to have the opportunity to have a proper discussion with Andrew about the exciting community led housing projects underway by the South Downs CLTs and to draw his attention to some of the real challenges they face. His support for a renewal of the Community Housing Fund is a key part of this, which would allow CLTs the funds they need to make these innovative projects happen. Community-led housing involves local people, such as those representing these CLTs, playing a leading and lasting role in solving housing problems, creating genuinely affordable homes and strong communities.”
Andrew said:
“I am grateful to everyone who joined the discussion. There is tremendous enthusiasm and energy to deliver truly affordable houses and I want to make sure that there are no roadblocks in achieving that.
“It was a productive meeting and I have been given some very useful feedback and ideas which I will be taking up with Ministers.”
ENDS
- Photograph attached; L-R, Tom Warder (AiRS), James Stewart (Arundel), Andrew, Paul Wilkinson (Slindon), Roger Paterson (Pulborough), Mike Link (Aldingborne, Barnham & Eastergate), Tony Cross (Angmering), Mike Hughes (SDNPA), Robin McDonald (Angmering), Darrell Gale (Arundel).
- Community Land Trusts are not-for-profit community organisations, typically linked to parishes and run by a Board of community volunteers, who own and develop land for the benefit of the community such as affordable homes, community gardens, and workspaces.
They ensure homes are genuinely and permanently affordable with assets held by the community in perpetuity.
- For more information about Action in Rural Sussex please see www.ruralsussex.org.uk.
- For more information about the Community Land Trust Network, please see www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk.
- For more information about the CLTs mentioned above, please see;
- Angmering CLT – www.angmeringclt.org.uk
- Arundel CLT – www.arundel.org
- Slindon CLT – www.slindonclt.co.uk
- Pulborough CLT – www.pulboroughclt.org
- Aldingbourne, Barnham & Eastergate CLT – www.abecommunitylandtrust.org.uk
