Spaxton Community Land Trust (SCLT) is working to deliver an affordable housing project in the village. The aim is to offer homes to those with strong connections to the village but who cannot find suitable housing at an affordable price.

Strong property prices and the limited availability of suitable houses means young people in particular and those on limited incomes have little chance of being able to buy a home in Spaxton. Instead, affordable housing is a route whereby these people can find a suitable home and stay in the village. Affordable housing will help Spaxton remain a thriving parish for people of all ages and incomes.

What is “affordable housing”

Spaxton CLT is looking to provide homes for affordable rent. An affordable rent is set at up to 80% of the market rent inclusive of service charges.

How can we provide such housing?

Community Land Trusts are being set up across the country to help provide affordable homes and services for local people. By forming a partnership with a Housing Association, SCLT can lead the housing project and generate a long-term income whilst being protected from the risks involved. The community then has a financially viable Trust able to take on future projects for the benefit of that community.  SCLT acts as a long-term steward, ensuring that the housing remains genuinely affordable, not just for now but in perpetuity.  The main features about this new way of doing things are:

• Land ownership. SCLT looks to secure the housing site in perpetuity for the community (with an option to take on full ownership of the properties from the Housing Association should SCLT ever wish to do so). SCLT will enter into a long term lease with the Housing Association and have an influence over important things like layout, design and occupancy.

• Affordable Homes for Local People. Those with a strong local connection – through living or working in the parish, or having family there – have priority for the housing. This is enshrined in a legally binding agreement between the Council, the Housing Association and SCLT.

• Access to grant funding. The creation of the CLT enables government and charitable grants to be obtained for community led housing schemes. Nothing is guaranteed and we must compete with other organisations for funds and resources which are constrained by both time and value.  We have already secured some grant funding and explain more in the Sponsors section HERE.  We need to secure more funding as the project progresses with funding for site survey being the current priority. Sponsors look for projects with strong community support and so having lots of SCLT members is a good way to demonstrate this. Find out more about membership HERE.

• Long term financial viability. SCLT obtains an income from ground rents sufficient to cover the Trust’s running costs and provide a small income for other projects. The Trust is therefore financially sustainable.  These ground rents are understood to be exempt from the Government’s planned leasehold reform which suggests ground rents be set to zero.

Sites & Plans

Following a Public Consultation held on 25th Jan 2020 to gauge local opinion on potential development sites in Spaxton, two sites were shortlisted for further investigation and consideration.  The two sites had almost parity of support and similar comments were made about both. Any housing would take up only part of the shaded area shown in the map.

A pre-planning advice application was then submitted for each site and both found to be viable.  Non-contractual Heads of Terms were signed with the owners of each site and the merits of each option debated at length by the SCLT board.  Site 11, the High Street was recommended to the residents of the Parish of Spaxton and endorsed with a conclusive show of hands at the Special Public Meeting held on the 2^nd October 2021.

Mike Hodson made the presentation at the Special Public Meeting with Steve Watson of Middlemarch also in attendance to help answer questions.

Sadly, Richard Dare, the owner of the site 11 the High Street Site has died. This has resulted in his estate being subject to probate which is likely to be a protracted process. Consequently, the land has been withdrawn from sale with no prospect of it being offered again in the foreseeable future.

The CLT is very fortunate to have a second site option with site 2, adjacent to the allotments, and that site is now being pursued with the architects reassessing their design work and various site surveys being commissioned.   More information will follow in due course.

What homes are needed

Identifying the nature and extent of housing need is the founding block of any scheme that provides homes to meet local housing needs.  Typically a local housing needs survey is used to provide this.

SCLT conducted its own, independently validated, Housing Needs Survey in Dec 2020 and achieved a response rate of over 40% which is excellent and even higher than the last needs survey that was conducted in 2017. This survey supports a need for 9 affordable homes on the High Street site.

The CLT owns the Intellectual Property Rights to the survey and no analysis will be published until the CLT planning application is submitted. Without that analysis a developer has no grounds for a market development with associated affordable housing.

The survey results will also help inform the discussions with prospective housing association partners.

Whilst respondents’ circumstances may change before any homes are ready for occupancy, they need to ensure they are registered on the appropriate housing web site. 

Housing Association

Award-winning housing association Aster Group has been selected by SCLT as its preferred registered provider of new affordable homes in the village. Aster is a leading housing association provider of CLT partnerships and has delivered 13 CLT schemes across the south and south west to date. Spaxton marks the Group’s first CLT in Somerset. Aster has the financial stability and breath to be able to provide the funding required to build to the quality to which the SCLT aspires.

Housing associations are non-profit organisations with a primary purpose of providing good quality affordable housing for low-income households. Every housing association is unique.  There are approximately 1,500 housing associations in England and many have a regional or local focus.

They have significant development and project management expertise and have access to affordable finance, including grant money and loans.  Because housing associations have significant assets (homes) on their books, they are considered less risky borrowers and can access loans at more competitive rates than the CLT can.    Housing associations are already Registered Providers, which is a requirement for accessing some capital grant money to provide affordable rent and low cost homeownership homes. The CLT could apply to become a Registered Provider itself , but the process can take time and Spaxton CLT feels that securing a suitable partnership is the better route.

Builder

Upon Aster’s recommended E.G Carter is the preferred builder.  E.G Carter is a fourth- generation family-owned construction company that operates across the south west.  The company has a track record of successfully working with both Aster and the CLT’s chosen architect on affordable projects.

Architects

After a competitive pitch, Reed Watts have been selected as the Architects for the project. Jim Reed and Matt Watts demonstrated a strong understanding of the brief and its challenges, have a hands-on approach and a track record of success.  They are well versed with the technicalities of sustainable design. Their work for Marshfield Community Land Trust is designed to Passivhaus standard and their recently completed project for Teddington Cricket Club achieved BREEAM Excellent rating.

Timing

Typically a community led housing project can be broken down into five separate stages – group, site, plan, build and live.  Spaxton CLT is at stage 2. 

1. Group stage

Where a steering group is formed, members are recruited , purpose and goals are decided on, and a plan is developed.

2. Site stage

This involves confirming the housing need, identifying the preferred site and investigating any potential problems and costs.  Raising money to pay for it through grants and Housing Association partnerships and such like.  Some of the fund raising work will also fall into stage 3.

3. Plan stage

The planning application. The application will need to include detailed plans for the homes and any additional facilities like shared gardens and parking. Considered plans and significant support from the wider community are needed. 

4. Build stage

5. Live stage

Ensure a fair and transparent policy and process for allocating the homes is working as planned.  Housing association manage repairs and maintenance, lettings, rents and service charge collection and complaints handling.

How to apply

If you wish to be considered for the affordable rented homes in Spaxton, you will need to register with Homefinder Somerset at www.homefindersomerset.co.uk

At the moment we are not considering shared ownership properties.  If you are interested in a shared ownership homes you will need to register on Help to Buy South West at www.helptobuysw.org.uk.