September 2026 Update – option to purchase agreement signed for a home in Old Town, Wadsworth

We have:

• Agreed the purchase with the owner at below the market price, and have a legally binding option to purchase agreement in place.
• Completed a survey, EPC and builders estimate for the work on the property
• Submitted a bid to the Calderdale Council Cow Green Affordable Housing Fund. This is the fund that had approved a grant for the previous property at Northfield, Heptonstall.
• We are working on the formal update to the share offer documents to issue to investors as soon as we get a decision from the Council. We will present investors with evidence of a fully-funded project, alongside an addendum to the original share offer clearly showing what is different and what has remained the same. 
• Members supported the revised project at our AGM in June 2026.

 A hilltop village home – summary

• We have an opportunity to purchase a modern two-bed, semi-detached property in a different hilltop village, Wadsworth/Old Town, that we were offered last year. ​
• We held a positively received public meeting in the village last year, but could not proceed due capacity constraints. ​
• The house is a similar size to Northfield with a much more modern and usable lay-out, a garden and parking.​
• The owner needs to sell but wants to protect the tenants​
• It currently has two tenants who are paying very close to an affordable rent and are happy to transfer to CVCLT.​
• We have conducted a survey, EPC and valuation and agreed a price with the owner which is comparable to Northfield.​
• Learning from Northfield, we will have an option to buy agreement in place, so the vendor cannot withdraw.​
• The house won’t require major refurbishment works making it a lower risk project than Northfield.​

Social value comparision

MAY 2026 UPDATE – Looking for a different property to deliver similar social benefits​

In many ways raising the funds was the most difficult part of this project, and our investors and donors made a real financial commitment so as to deliver an affordable village home for local people. We want to make sure we deliver that outcome, and don’t want your efforts to go to waste.​

We have a register of people wanting to bring their home into community ownership and have been exploring the purchase of another house, which is also in a village and is of a similar size and value, and would deliver comparable social benefits to  the Northfield house.​​

We are pleased to confirm that in addition to a survey, valuation and EPC report, the property owner has entered into an ‘option to buy agreement’ with CVCLT, which means that they are committed to selling the house to us. 

This home, in Old Town, is a fairly modern, two bedroomed semi-detached house.  There will be much less required in terms of refurbishment and it is already let to two local people who would fit within our ideal tenant profile, at close to an affordable rent.  This purchase will secure their home when their landlord sells up. 

We had a grant from Calderdale Council for Northfield from their ring-fenced affordable housing fund, but have had to return this and submit a separate application to the Council for another grant .  

Securing funding and buying a house is, unfortunately, a slow process and we really appreciate our investors patience and ongoing support whilst we finalise this change.

Our plan is to present donors and investors with full information about the revised house and the impact on the share offer as soon as we can.

We hope that you will continue to support this project; this is critical to making this purchase happen so enabling two local people to continue to live in their home, safe in the knowledge that they won’t have to move on.

We are grateful for your support, and will keep you informed of progress.

Thank you!

Link to the Northfield Share offer page:

All the information on the Northfield project and the share offer can be found though this link.