By Ian Bracey | February 16, 2018
The following article was published in the Feb 2018 edition of the Beach News.
With house prices being so high in the Cambridge area, owning a home is a challenge for young people in the village. Even with a good job and saving hard it can take a long time to build up a deposit. It is even more difficult if you are renting, indeed market rents themselves can be difficult to afford. I have lived in Waterbeach for my whole life, but can’t afford to buy here. I know other young people in the same position. There isn’t currently any help available for local people or those with a connection to the village to make a home here.
There is a way to help.
I want to set up a Community Land Trust (CLT) for Waterbeach. This is a form of community-led development which would allow the us to build affordable housing and community facilities for local people. A CLT is a group owned by the community, run by the community, for the benefit of the community. Everyone in the village can be a member, and everyone has a say in what the CLT tries to do. The group would also be able to set its own allocation policy to prioritise those living or working the village or with a local connection.
With all the potential development taking place around Waterbeach, having our own CLT, along with the Neighbourhood Plan, would give us the opportunity to steer how the village develops. It would give us the chance to develop in a way sympathetic to the style of the village, with good quality houses for families and interesting design and architecture. A CLT can help with affordable rent, shared ownership, shared equity, plots for self-build, group self-build, purchase at cost and many other options we could to look at, as well as developing community facilities too.
Other villages in the local area have been using Community Land Trusts to successfully develop their areas. Stretham and Wilburton are delivering 75 homes of which 30% will be for affordable rent at Manor Farm. Haddenham are preparing to build 54 homes at West End through their CLT. Cottenham have recently become the first village in South Cambs to form a CLT. There is also grant funding available from the council and support from CLT East for groups wanting to look at setting up a CLT. They will help explain what the benefits of community led development are and help guide through the process of forming one as well as providing access to technical advisers.
What we are looking for is people who are interested in steering the path of the CLT, setting it up, proposing ideas for what we want to do with it, how we can best help local people. If you are looking to get a home but cannot afford it. If you have children who still live at home or have moved away because they cannot afford the local area. If you have an interest in building your own home but have never thought you would be able to. If you want to help those who cannot afford market rent and want to develop houses which will support the community in perpetuity, then this is the opportunity for you. If you are interested in any of these things, or just want to find out more, we would love to hear from you.
You can find more details on our new website www.waterbeachclt.co.uk. Here you will find more information about what a CLT is and what we would like to do with it. I want to hold a local get-together in the village for anyone who is interested in finding out more, email info@waterbeachclt.co.uk if you are interested, or watch out for more publicity.