The Aim of a CLT

The purpose of a CLT is to develop affordable housing to support the community in perpetuity. In order to be able to do this a CLT needs to have access to land. A lot of people have rightly been asking where this would come from. I want to briefly discuss this.

How a CLT can acquire land

A CLT can get land in many different ways, according to CLTEast:

• It can be gifted public or private land at below market value by those who want to help the community
• Purchase rural exception sites (these are sites where for-profit housing development would not usually be permitted) for around agricultural rates
• Acquire sites using grant funding or community share issues

Generally CLTs have found that gaining land is not the issue it is thought to be. Because the CLT has an asset lock, meaning no individual can profit, only the community as a whole, local landowners can be keen to work with a CLT and help support a good cause.

Lots to do first

While eventually any development would need land, the priority at the moment is to form the CLT. We want to show that it is something the community thinks is a good idea in principle. That we want to help with affordable housing and community facilities. We also need to gather the expertise to run the Trust and develop any project we might take on. This all takes time.

It’s important that we establish it now and set up some aims, gather evidence as to what need there is. So that if an opportunity for land comes along in the future we are ready to act. Without working this out in advance we would never be ready! There is lots to do and we need to take it one step at a time!

So if you think this is a good idea help us spread the word and encourage the whole community to sign up to contribute their ideas.

Contact us if you have any questions or tell us you are interested when you join the mailing list.