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CVCLT news February 2024
Sharing our news with you is one of the best parts of my job.
Let’s start with two opportunities for you to help make a difference.
Please write a letter of support for our planning application at Ferney Lee
Fly through the site and some much needed blue skies here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajrH9o62sL0
The deadline is the 16th of February and you can submit a letter of support for our plans for homes and an enterprise centre at Ferney Lee here.
The team did an incredible job to go from an opportunity to a planning application in 3 months. A great example of a community organisation working with a public organisation (CMBC) and private organisations (architects, project managers, etc.) to create affordable housing and offices that will benefit the community for generations.
A long way to go though, and lots of hurdles to come, but with a common passion and perseverance we can create a valuable asset for our community.
The Enterprise Centre project is part of the £17.5M Todmorden Town Deal investment programme led by Todmorden Town Deal Board due to be completed by Spring 2026. For more information, visit: www.todmordentowndeal.co.uk
Public Meeting – Priced out of renting in the Calder Valley?
Come and join us on 12 February for our first public meeting of 2024.
Affordable rent is an issue in the Calder Valley where property and rent costs are relatively high compared with wages. Sadly, we hear from people every week who are at risk of losing their rented home or who can’t find affordable rented homes – and this is only getting worse as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.
As a charity, we’ve been successful in creating affordable rented homes through a wide range of methods – and with coordinated action at all levels we can deliver more homes. At this meeting, we’ll hear from some excellent speakers and from you too, we hope. Come together and share ideas and experiences around affordability.
We’ll also discuss how we can all influence change in this area and take individual action.
The public meeting is free to attend, and anyone is welcome. The Town Hall bar will open at 7pm for refreshments and the event will begin at 7.30pm. We hope to see you there!
More information here https://caldervalleyclt.org.uk/our-public-meetings/
Jerusalem Farm Cottage
We are in discussion with Calderdale Council for an interest free loan that could be the last piece of the financial jigsaw to enable us to bring this empty rural property back into use as an affordable rented home.
In turn, when it is tenanted this will provide council tax income for Calderdale Council. In these times of local authority funding cuts, every little helps.
Great progress on our first affordable rented Hebden home
We plan to complete the purchase by the 4th of March and complete the retrofit and repair works by the end of June. We are hoping to let this property in the second half of 2024.
Another team effort, involving the owner of the property, Hebden Royd Town Council and Homes England, who have all been brilliant.
We are keen to work with local tradespeople and companies, so please get in touch if you can help us move towards that first tenant moving in.
Patient Capital
If you’re in a position to be patient about getting a quick return or even no return on your money, and you want to put that money to work in the community then Patient Capital could be for you.
The two projects above are happening because local people have been kind enough to move some of their savings into the land trust to enable us to create affordable rented homes. This involves:
- Low interest loans
- 0% loans
- Purchase of Calder Valley Community Land Trust community shares
- Donations
Contact Paul, our Executive Manager, if you would like to explore helping to create affordable homes in this way.
Reducing Fielden Hall’s impact on climate change
It was a test of stamina, but we completed a 142-page grant application this week. We worked so hard on this one and if we’re successful then we will be able to have a 100% renovated roof, specialist insulation system, Mechanical Ventilated Heat Recovery System and solar PV at Fielden Hall.
The goal is to reduce energy bills and CO2 emissions by 35%. The savings will enable us to put money aside for all future repairs and to keep the hire costs affordable.
These savings will also support the Fielden Centre Association to enable host and expand the many activities that take place at Fielden Hall, such as meditation, choirs and singing groups, Tai Chi, older lesbian mutual support group (https://calderdalefriendsofdorothy.co.uk/), dog training, women’s talking group, art clubs, craft clubs, photography groups, the University of the 3rd Age (https://u3atod.org.uk/) and more.
Charity performances there have raised money for local causes, and you can even get married in our beautiful community hall!
Contact http://www.fieldenhall.com/ if you would like to hire the hall.
Refugee homes in Hebden Bridge
We have done all we can, for now, to bring 2 empty properties above One Stop in Hebden Bridge into use as affordable rented homes. We are waiting for the lease and grant agreement from Calderdale Council to enable us to proceed with the renovation and retrofit.
Once the refugee need dissipates, these homes will become available to meet the local housing need.
Advisory Panel
If you have experience of applying for grants and/or fundraising and would like to give something back to the upper valley community please drop our Chair Simon Brearley an line at simon.brearley@caldervalleyclt.org.uk or give our manager Paul a call on 07942 361205.
Signal Box
The wait goes on, but we now have a definitive to do list from Network Rail that, once complete, will enable a lease to be signed. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel (groans from the audience). Hebden Bridge Signal Box awaits patiently to be brought to life and the volunteers in the Signal Box Heritage group continue to prepare information and activities that will make this such a great attraction.
We are looking for someone to take on a 6-month paid role to deliver the heritage aspect of the Signal Box. If you have previous experience on similar projects, please get in touch.
Thank you
Thank you to Connect Housing who invited us onto their safeguarding training course today. It was great to meet a diverse group of people with a common aim to help address the housing crisis and its impact on people.
And finally…
…we are now on Instagram, but no sign of Tik Tok yet. Now there’s an idea, we know younger people really struggle to find an affordable place of their own. Any Tik Tok users out there who would like to highlight the struggle and inspire change?
https://www.instagram.com/caldervalleyclt/
Thank you for reading, each reader inspires us to do more.
Every new member makes a difference. To take the next step from newsletter reader to member please Click.
Planning approved in Hebden Bridge
We are delighted to announce that, after eight years of research and planning, our plans for 20 comfortable, low energy, permanently affordable homes for rent by local people were unanimously approved by Calderdale Planning Committee on 14th March 2023.
These revised plans addressed the more significant objections to our original plans. However, the delay means we face a new challenge due to the increases in interest rates and construction costs. We are working with our partner, Connect Housing, to find a sensible way of financing the build.
There are many people to thank, but we certainly would not have got this far without the support of:
- CMBC who asset transferred the land.
- Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) who created the Community Housing Fund enabling us to pay the fees to get this far.
- Connect Housing who have shared their knowledge and experience.
We wonder if those who originally built homes on the site in Victorian times had the same challenges!
Interested in investing?
We are now keeping a waiting list of people potentially interested in investing in the CLT in the future. If you are interested in being added to this list, please contact our Exec Manager Paul on manager@caldervalleyclt.org.uk. (‘Without obligation’, as they say!)
Our social impact survey
The full social impact report is available on the website. Just click http://www.caldervalleyclt.org.uk/docs/socialvalue.pdf.
ARCHIVE OF PRESS RELEASES:
2022: Mar 8: Mayor of West Yorkshire visits CVCLT development
2021: Sep 13: Calder Valley CLT appoints its first Executive Manager
2021: June 6 Major grant will help save Hebden Bridge’s Signal Box
2021: May 26: Community-based trust is ready to recruit
2021: Feb 17: Community-led charity to receive national lottery funding
2021: Jan 13: Community trust pulls off successful community share issue
2020: Dec 8: Todmorden’s community share offer hits a key milestone
Oct 26: Todmorden community to come together to secure the future of a historic hall and affordable housing
Mar 1: First partnership between almshouse trust and CLT reaches successful conclusion
Jan 1: Wanted! Local charities’ independent-living bungalows need first residents
2019: Mar 4: Building work starts on six new bungalows for local older people
Feb 5: Statement from board of trustees following planning decision
2018: April 1: Local charity’s plans to bring back a lost Hebden Bridge street
2017: Jan 1: Community-led housing charity receives major grant for its ‘Big Potential’
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