Frequently Asked Questions

What is a CLT?

Community land trusts are set up and run by ordinary people to develop and manage homes as well as other assets. CLTs act as long-term stewards of housing, ensuring that it remains genuinely affordable, not just for now but for every future occupier.

How many houses will be built?

Advice from the Aster Group based on their past experience of CLT schemes is that a minimum of 10 houses would be needed for any development to be financially viable under current Government funding regimes. As the recent Longhope housing needs survey identified as many as 23 households in potential housing need, there is confidence that 10-12 houses would be taken up by local people, but there are no plans to develop 23 properties. We need to be sure that the houses built are all occupied by local people.

Where will the new houses be built?

Following advice from the National CLT Network adviser, the search for potential affordable housing sites has concentrated on the centre of Longhope village with good access to local facilities, while considering physical, economic and social factors (though costs are hard to judge at this early stage). Only one of the eight sites reviewed so far has shown potential for affordable housing development and is currently being investigated for site development issues and eligibility for planning permission. There would be public consultation before any planning application.

Who would be managing the housing?

While the site will be owned by Longhope CLT Ltd, day-to-day management will be in the hands of a housing association partner. Local housing associations Two Rivers Housing, Wyedean Housing and Severn Vale Housing (now part of the Bromford group) were all approached but have declined to take part at this stage. The CLT has been developing the Longhope scheme with the help of the Aster Group who have a dedicated team for community housing, have delivered 10 CLT schemes to date including at Nailsworth near Stroud, and came with a good recommendation from national association the National CLT Network. Legal heads of terms are being drafted to govern how the CLT and the Aster Group would work together to manage the finished scheme.

How would housing be allocated to local people?

Potential tenants will be drawn from the housing register kept by the District Council. An agreement will be put in place with the District Council so that details of people on the register with a Longhope connection will be passed to the Aster Group in the first instance, who would then carry out a review as the managers of the completed scheme. Selection for tenancy will reflect the priorities in the Homeseeker Plus Policy document (emergency, gold, silver and bronze), but only after the Longhope connection has been established. Local people with an interest in affordable housing should register via https://www.fdean.gov.uk/housing/apply-for-housing/

Why do we need a community land trust?

There has been an increasing need over time for more affordable housing in Longhope, but various attempts to provide affordable housing through the usual channels have not been successful. Current housing developments will not address the needs of all the households reflected in the recent Longhope Housing Needs Survey, nor those members of Longhope families who have had to move away from the area. Community land trusts are a relatively new mechanism for providing housing under local control that is permanently affordable, with no tenant’s right to buy, and let to local people who either live, work or have close family ties to the parish.

How well have community land trusts worked elsewhere?

There are now approximately 300 CLTs established as legal entities in the UK; a number which has doubled in the past couple of years. Feedback from the Nailsworth scheme is that 10 new homes have been built in the Lawnside area of Forest Green, Nailsworth (called “Valley View”), and all 10 have been let to people with a Nailsworth connection. Eastington CLT are in the process of building their 23 homes, also working in partnership with the Aster Group.

How will the Longhope development be funded?

The Government have not so far renewed their previous Community Housing grant scheme, under which the CLT could apply for development funding, though the Chancellor has announced a £12Bn Affordable Homes programme, details TBC. While the District Council has already given Longhope CLT a grant of £1,000 and is developing a grant scheme for a further £10,000, the Aster Group board have approved initial revenue funding “at risk” for site investigation and pre-planning work in partnership with the CLT. Funding for construction is available to Aster under the Government’s regular funding stream for housing associations.

Are Longhope parish council involved in this project?

No longer – the parish council set up a working party in May 2018 to look into the possibility of affordable housing being provided through a community land trust, but stepped back now that Longhope CLT Ltd has been incorporated as a separate legal entity in March 2020. This also ensures that the parish council can take an independent view of any planning applications that come in.

How can I get involved in the CLT?

More information is available on the Longhope CLT Facebook page or by following this link to our homepage but to become a member of the CLT with the right to vote at general meetings, please contact membership secretary Bill Reay at any time on 01452 830633 or by emailing LonghopeCLT@mail.com