£5,000 grants to help communities bring forward affordable homes

Great Yarmouth Borough Council has awarded £5,000 to support the newly-formed Lothingland Community Land Trust, which will help them to explore their ideas for community-led housing with a special advisor, and to develop their initial ideas into investment-ready business plans.

Grants of up to £5,000 are now available from a Government-funded Community-led Housing Grant Scheme, which supports groups in the borough, including Community Land Trusts, that are interested in developing affordable homes for their local community.

Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are a form of community-led housing where local trusts, set up and run by local people, develop and manage homes as well as other assets important to that community. Not-for-profit membership organisations, their main aim is to ensure these homes are genuinely affordable, based on what people actually earn in their area, not just for now but for every future occupier.

Cllr Emma Flaxman-Taylor, vice chairman of the housing and neighbourhoods committee, presented the cheque this week to members of Lothingland Community Land Trust, which covers Belton, Browston, Burgh Castle, Fritton and St Olaves.

She said: "Thanks to targeted Government funding, the council is exploring Community Land Trusts as a model for community-led housing development, providing local, good quality homes for local people at prices which are affordable on local wages, and which add to the vibrancy and resilience of communities.

"Lothingland is the first CLT we've helped to become formally established in the borough, and we're really pleased to hand them this grant, which will be extra assistance as they explore their ideas in more detail for community-led affordable housing. We'd like to hear from any other people who are interested in setting up a trust, or trusts, for their area, and we'd also like to see grant applications from further groups."

Adrian Myers, chairman of Lothingland CLT, said: "The granting of this cheque has been an enormous help in establishing the trust. It has enabled us to contract solicitors to create the legal identity of the trust and its operating parameters and thus meeting the strict criteria of the FCA. The grant has also allowed us to employ a website designer, and print stationery, all of which is vital in supporting the trust's aims of providing rentable social housing for the residents of the five villages."

Two further CLTs, Flegg CLT and Hopton CLT, have also been awarded the initial £5,000 grant which will assist them in becoming legal entities.

The application form for the Community-led Housing Grant Scheme is available by calling Debbie Wildridge on 07703 814581. Further information is available at www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk/community-housing-fund