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3 December 2007

Press release issued by North Cornwall District Council:

Government Housing Pundits rate Delabole scheme as Excellent

Cornwall Rural Housing Association has had its recently completed scheme at Penmead, Delabole rated as “Excellent” by the Housing Corporation, the Government’s National Affordable Homes Agency.

Local people moved into the scheme of 10 rented houses earlier this year. The development was built with the help of a £650,000 grant from the Housing Corporation on land given by North Cornwall District Council.

In its report the Housing Corporation describes the scheme as “a credit to the hard work and dedication of the Association’s development staff and continues to be enjoyed by the residents who live there”. The development is also praised as “well designed, good quality and very energy efficient”.

Commenting, Peter Moore, Director of Cornwall Rural Housing Association said ” We have never seen a scheme audit report which is so unreservedly positive and we are particularly pleased to receive this accolade as a smaller housing association specialising in rural schemes. It is the result of a lot of experience gathered from previous developments, which we aim to build on as we continue to develop more affordable homes in the future.”

Welcoming the report, Councillor Linda Spear, North Cornwall’s Community Services Committee Chair said:

“These plaudits justify our confidence in the ability of Cornwall Rural Housing Association to bring forward high quality developments of much needed affordable housing. North Cornwall contains many rural communities and it is good to know that we have a local Housing Association, which is in tune with their needs. I am please to say that North Cornwall District Council is also supporting a number of current and imminent CRHA developments including at Shop near Morwenstow, Marhamchurch and Blisland, which further demonstrates our commitment to driving up the delivery of rural affordable housing. I look forward to the momentum we have built up continuing into the future.”

ENDS : Note to Editors: The scheme at Penmead Road, Delabole was completed in May 2007. The Housing Corporation Compliance Audit, which looks at a range of issues about quality, how the scheme was delivered and resident satisfaction, was issued on 19th October. The Architects were Trewin Design Partnership of Holsworthy and the Building Contractors J. J. Jones of St. Austell.

12 November 2007

£1,500,000 boost for more affordable homes in North Cornwall

Cornwall Rural Housing Association is to be given £900,000 from the Housing Corporation to support 18 new affordable homes for rent on three sites at Morwenstow, Marhamchurch and Blisland.

All the schemes are also being financially supported by North Cornwall District Council, which will be providing nearly £600,000 and also donating the land at Marhamchurch and Blisland.

Welcoming the news, Peter Moore, Director of Cornwall Rural Housing Association said: “We have been rewarded for having schemes ready and able to start when the Housing Corporation was looking for further schemes to take up slippage in their current programme. It is very pleasing to see that the Corporation recognises the importance of rural areas and the contribution that smaller specialist housing associations, such as ours, can make to address the housing needs of smaller rural communities.”

The funding has enabled an immediate start on site to be made at Morwenstow, while starts on the other two schemes, which have both received detailed planning permission, are expected by March next year.

On hearing that the grant bids have been successful, North Cornwall Community Services Chair, Councillor Linda Spear, said: “This demonstrates the Council’s commitment to delivering much needed affordable housing throughout the whole of North Cornwall and the benefits of working closely with partners such as Cornwall Rural Housing Association. It also, yet again, emphasises how vital second homes council tax is in levering in further funding from the Housing Corporation, who made it clear that they would only provide funding if the Council was also able to offer significant financial support.”

The new affordable housing will consist of seven homes at West Beckon Close, Shop near Morwenstow and four homes at Old Canal Close, Marhamchurch. The scheme at Pentor, Blisland comprises seven homes for rent as part of a larger scheme which also includes six affordable homes for sale.

St Minver Community Land Trust

Click on the links below for news about the start on site made by St Minver CLT, a group which has been supported by our Community Land Trust Project.

http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144143&command=displayContent&sourceNode=144131&contentPK=18626163&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch

Press release issued by North Cornwall District Council:

North Cornwall’s house price hot spot to have first Self Build Community Land Trust in the country

An innovative affordable housing scheme in Rock, North Cornwall is the first to start since the recent Housing Green Paper highlighted the potential of Community Land Trusts.

The scheme for 12 self build bungalows which started on site on 1st October is being undertaken by St.Minver CLT Ltd on land at Penmayne Farm, Rock. Supported by a loan of £544,000 from North Cornwall District Council funded from Second Homes Council Tax the scheme is aimed at helping local people get onto the housing ladder in one of the highest priced housing areas in the country.

The Community Land Trust formed through an initiative by St. Minver Highlands and Lowlands Parish Councils is an emerging way of delivering affordable housing and ensuring future local control which was welcomed by the Government in the recent Housing Green Paper. After a number of years trying to bring a scheme forward in Rock the St Minver Community Land Trust incorporated as a Company limited by Guarantee earlier this year and successfully registered as a Charity in September, immediately before completing the purchase of the land and starting work.

The St Minver Group has been advised and supported by Alan Fox, who is mainly funded by Cornwall County Council and the Tudor Trust to encourage the formation of Community Land Trusts throughout Cornwall.

Based with Cornwall Rural Housing Association Alan said “this is the first scheme to start in Cornwall and the first self build scheme by a Community Land Trust anywhere in England. The Government is promoting this model and in North Cornwall not only do we have a first with St. Minver, but a second scheme which is hoped to start at Blisland early in 2008. The learning curve that the St. Minver Group has been through will be invaluable to other groups hoping to set up Trusts throughout the Country.

Celebrating the start of building work Chair of the Community Land Trust David Wills said “This is the result of a lot of hard work by many people and particularly the late Bill Dingle who recognised that something had to be done to help our young people stay in their traditional community. Now that we have set up the Community Land Trust, we are hoping that this will be the first of a number of schemes that will provide much needed affordable housing in the two parishes.”

Increasing the delivery of affordable housing is the highest priority for North Cornwall District Council and Chairman Graham Facks-Martin added “This scheme is another example of the people of North Cornwall leading the way in tackling the issue of affordable housing and meeting the challenge to local communities that it represents. Community Land Trusts are another part of the joined up approach adopted by the Council to maintaining sustainable communities. The scheme is also another example of how funding from Second Homes Council Tax is essential in enabling the delivery of new affordable homes.”

Note to Editors: The St.Minver CLT Ltd is a not for profit Company Limited by Guarantee and a Registered Charity whose principal objective is to promote and deliver affordable housing for local people within the Parishes of St. Minver Highlands and St. Minver Lowlands.

North Cornwall’s new affordable housing scheme proves that Cornwall can lead the way, says MP

MP Dan Rogerson officially opened North Cornwall’s latest affordable housing scheme this morning.

The ten homes at Penmead in Delabole were built by Cornwall Rural Housing Association on land sold to them by North Cornwall District Council for the princely sum of £1!

The ten homes for rent have been occupied since May this year. One of the tenants, Jude Lewis said: “I love living here. It is so spacious, light and airy and my garden is absolutely fab!”

The pretty grey and white houses and bungalows with glazed sunspaces and roof-lights are tucked away in a quiet cul-de-sac just a few minutes walk from the centre of the village.

Dan Rogerson congratulated North Cornwall District Council and the Cornwall Rural Housing Association for doing a fantastic job. “When I’m lobbying the Government for more resources, it’s great to be able to show them that Cornwall has the talent, drive and initiative to take the lead and produce high quality, sustainable developments like this. I am delighted to be here today to celebrate the start of this community and to congratulate everyone who helped to make it happen.”

Award-winning architects from Holsworthy, the Trewin Design Partnership, designed the homes which are energy efficient as well as attractive to look at. David Savage, from Trewin Design, said: It’s great to see that the tenants are really happy in their new homes. It has been a very enjoyable development to work on and I am really pleased with the final result.”

North Cornwall District Councillor, Linda Spear, said “I’m so proud of this development. The houses are fantastic and seeing everyone so happy makes all the hard work worthwhile. Affordable housing is an absolute priority for us. Penmead has provided ten new homes … we know this is just a drop in the ocean compared to the number of homes that are needed in North Cornwall. It is vital that we maximise the resources available to invest in more affordable homes for local people. The money from council tax on second homes is an essential part of that mix and we must all be determined to ensure that that money remains ring-fenced for housing.”

Peter Moore from the Cornwall Rural Housing Association, said: “I’m delighted to see that everyone has settled in so well – there is a real sense of community here.” Pictures of today from David Flower: FLOWCRICK@aol.com

Our development at Tresmeer was featured in a piece on BBC Spotlight publicising concerns that the funding for affordable housing provided from the council tax on second homes was coming to an end.

Unfortunately the report did not refer to the fact that the homes at Tresmeer had been developed by and were owned by Cornwall Rural Housing Association. Instead they were referred to as "Council houses".

The link to the video on the BBC website is here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6950000/newsid_6952300/6952305.stm?bw=bb&mp=rm&news=1

From the Cornish Guardian 23rd May 2007

Click here for link to story

AFFORDABLE HOMES SCHEME SCOOPS CIVIC SOCIETY AWARD

"Launceston Civic Society's prestigious Architectural and Conservation Award has this year been won by Hendra Garth, the affordable housing development at Tresmeer. The seven homes are designed in the style of a farmhouse with barns, arranged around a courtyard, in a charming rural setting.

The tenants benefit from the latest conservation measures which include ground-source heat pumps, recycled rain water to reduce mains water consumption and a high level of insulation.

The award was presented by guest of honour Mark Hall, Chief Executive of North Cornwall District Council, to Peter Moore of Cornwall Rural Housing Association.

Mr Hall said much credit was due to the civic society for its hard work and commitment in organising the award, and to all of the entries for the high quality of architecture, workmanship and environmental sensitivity shown in all their projects.

Mr Hall was particularly pleased that the award was won by an affordable housing project which had been part-funded by North Cornwall District Council.

He said Hendra Garth sets a very high standard of affordable housing for the whole of North Cornwall and the development is becoming nationally known as one of the best examples of affordable housing, built to the best quality and design, which fits sensitively into its rural setting.

There were a total of 12 high quality entries for the award, gave the judges said gave them a real problem in picking the eventual winner.

Andrew Wood, a conservation architect from Plymouth, was the principal judge and gave an overview of the entries, interspersed with lively comments on the built environment of Launceston.

Mr Wood said the judges had adopted a range of criteria on which to evaluate the entries, with emphasis on quality of materials, workmanship, effort, initiative and imagination, aesthetic appeal, harmony with surroundings and value to the community.

In addition to the winner, the judges awarded three certificates of merit.

These were to:

* South Petherwin Methodist Church, which earned the certificate for its disabled access to the church and school room, with provision of a disabled access toilet.

Mr Wood said this was a potentially difficult project which had been carried out extremely well and very carefully designed to fit the historic church building.

* Egloskerry School's cob shelter was a splendid example of community effort by and for the children.

It was a tremendous learning experience, and much fun, for the children to prepare the cob and build with it.

The end result was both a "thumbnail" version of a traditional cob building and a fantastic and well-used play space.

* Cowslip Workshops received the certificate for its new timber-framed kitchen/restaurant.

The building fits modestly into an existing farm setting and is enhanced by an open dining area under the front gable which makes the most of a fine rural viewpoint.

Bob Griggs, chairman of the civic society, said the organisation and judges were delighted to see so many top quality entries from a relatively small area of North Cornwall.

He thanked the judges for their hard work and enthusiasm throughout a long day of judging.

The society was grateful to the sponsors for making the event possible.

Special thanks were due to the many people who had entered their cherished projects for the award.

Their care, commitment and sensitivity, were a wonderful example to all, whether they were planning new builds, conversions or restorations."
 

Launceston Civic Society Architectural & Conservation Award 2006

CRHA is proud to announce that its housing development at Hendra Garth, Tresmeer has won the the Launceston Civic Society Architectural & Conservation Award 2006.

Press Release

A development of seven homes for rent to meet local housing needs on an “exceptions” site by Cornwall Rural Housing Association has won the Launceston Civic Society Architectural & Conservation Award.

Although of a traditional design the homes also include features such as ground source heat pumps to provide heating and hot water and rain water harvesting to help reduce water consumption.

The scheme comprises two 3 bedroom houses, two 2 bedroom houses, one 2 bedroom bungalows and two 2 bedroom flats and was built with the aid of grant funding from North Cornwall District Council directly from the additional revenue generated by the increased in council tax on second homes, which in Cornwall is being used to provide additional units of social housing. The properties were built on land provided by Cornwall County Council.

Peter Moore, Director of Cornwall Rural Housing Association, commented that: “This award demonstrates that local communities will support and encourage the provision of housing in rural areas if it is well designed and meets genuine local needs. It also shows that it is possible to design housing incorporating sustainable features which can complement and enhance the existing village environment.
 

From the Cornish Guardian 9th May 2007:

Click here for link to story

"The first residents of a new £1 million affordable housing development picked up the keys to their homes in time for the May Bank Holiday weekend. The Cornwall Rural Housing Association scheme at Penmead Road has provided 10 homes for rent on land provided free by North Cornwall District Council.

The scheme comprises four three-bedroom houses, two two-bedroom houses, two two-bedroom bungalows and two two-bedroom flats.

It was completed with the help of grant funding from The Housing Corporation.

The properties have been designed to be inexpensive to heat and are fitted with ground source heat pumps which provide heating and hot water.

Some properties benefit from glazed sun spaces to help maximise the amount of heat generated from solar gain.

Peter Moore, Director of Cornwall Rural Housing Association, said: "The combination of relatively low wages and higher than average house prices found in Cornwall means many young people often cannot afford to live in the areas where they were born and brought up and it is hoped that developments such as this can help rural communities remain sustainable.

"Priority has been given to people already connected to the area and it has been good to see how many of the new residents already know each other, providing a good start to this new community".

The 10 units at Delabole are part of North Cornwall District Council's efforts to deliver more affordable housing, which has seen 105 new homes delivered in the past year.

Steve Cranmer, NCDC's affordable housing officer, said: "Providing land for Housing Association developments is one of many ways in which the council can help to tackle the affordable housing issue."
 

CRHA handed over the keys to the tenants of its new 10 unit scheme at Penmead Close Delabole.  For more information and photographs of the development please click here.

Press Release

New local needs housing at Delabole
 

Ten new homes to meet local housing needs have been completed at Penmead Close, Delabole. All of the homes are for rent and have been constructed by Cornwall Rural Housing Association on land donated fee of charge by North Cornwall District Council.

The scheme comprises four 3 bedroom houses, two 2 bedroom houses, two 2 bedroom bungalows and two 2 bedroom flats and has been built with assistance of grant funding from The Housing Corporation.
 

The properties have been designed to be inexpensive to heat and are fitted with ground source heat pumps which provide heating and hot water. Some properties benefit from glazed sunspaces to help maximise the amount of heat generated from passive solar gain.
 

Peter Moore, Director of Cornwall Rural Housing Association, commented that: “The combination of relatively low wages and higher than average house prices found in Cornwall means that many young people often cannot afford to live in the areas where they were born and brought up and it is hoped that developments such as this can help rural communities remain sustainable”.
 

He added that: “Priority has been given to people already connected to the area and it has been good to see how many of the new residents already knew each other providing a good start to this new community”.
 

The ten homes at Delabole are just part of the Council’s efforts to deliver more affordable housing, which has seen 105 new homes delivered in the past year.
 

“Providing land for Housing Association developments is one of many ways in which the Council can help to tackle the affordable housing issue in North Cornwall” commented Councillor Linda Spear “it is heart warming to see local people benefit once again from the Council’s close working with organisations such as Cornwall Rural Housing Association”.
 

Six New Homes at Week St Mary

The keys for 6 new homes at Week St Mary have been handed over to the new tenants. The six 3 bedroom houses were acquired from a private developer as part of a planning obligation agreed by North Cornwall District Council. The homes were acquired at a price which did not require the input of any public subsidy.

This article from The Observer on 14th January 2007 gives some information about our Community Land Trust project

click here for link to story

A leg-up for locals who need a home
 

Lisa Bachelor on a innovative way to keep rural housing affordable for low-income families

Lisa Bachelor
Sunday January 14, 2007

Observer

How do you keep affordable housing affordable? While it's possible to control the cost of a home the first time it goes on sale, as the property is sold on it reverts to the normal market price.
While this is great for vendors, as it provides them with cash for a deposit for their next home, it invariably takes the price beyond the pockets of those the property was originally meant for.

But now councils across Britain are starting to consider a new way to get around this conundrum - community land trusts. CLTs are not-for-profit organisations which buy land and capture its value for an indefinite period for the benefit of the local community. Long-term, affordable property can then be built on it, with buyers paying only for the house itself, not the land; this still belongs to the trust.

Local authorities have the power to dispose of land below market value for the benefit of communities, and several schemes have been kick-started by farmers and landowners willing to sell their land at below market price for the benefit of the community.

The Conservative party, which is to set up a working party to investigate the expansion of CLTs, believes they could be used to halve the cost of new homes. Shadow housing minister Michael Gove says: 'There are rural landowners who are interested in providing an equity stake to people living in their community, and there is government land, such as MoD and NHS land, that might be suitable but, for a variety of reasons, has not become available for CLTs. But there are a number of interlocking problems which have stunted the growth of these trusts.'

Stonesfield Community Trust was registered as a charity in 1983 by Tony Crofts and two friends in west Oxfordshire in what had been a mining village in the 19th century. They did it in response to rising house prices, which they saw were threatening the age profile, social mix and economic range of the local population. 'As anyone who has recently taken out buildings insurance will know, the rebuild cost of a house is usually less than half the price paid for the property,' says Crofts. 'Only by taking the land into some form of public ownership can you take that out of the value of a transaction.'

Under the Stonesbridge model, all the houses are rented rather than sold to members of the local community. The revenue from rent pays off loans used to fund part of the project and the surplus funding services for the community.

Cornwall, meanwhile, has become the first county to set up a project to oversee the development of CLTs. The two-year project, which began last April, is funded by the Tudor Trust, the county council, the Cornwall Rural Housing Association and Defra. It is run by the country's first full-time CLT project manager, Alan Fox, who says: 'Sites have been identified and landowners found who will sell their land at a discount, but all projects are still at planning permission stage.'

Part of the project is being funded through council tax on second homes, and all the agreements being drawn up specify that those buying through the trust must have a local connection. The plan is that at least some of these will be sold on an equity-share basis, with resale prices capped at below market price.

For example, if a property was being sold through the trust for £100,000, the buyer could take out a mortgage on 75 per cent of that, with the rest owned by the trust. If at resale the open market value had risen to £180,000, under a CLT resale formula the sale would pay off the owner's £75,000 mortgage as well as entitling them to 25 per cent of the increase in value, or £20,000. The remaining equity would stay with the trust and allow the next owner to buy the property for £95,000, the sum of the first buyer's mortgage and their equity share.

'A CLT resale formula can be designed to provide enough equity - it increases in line with the open market - for the outgoing household to have a deposit to go on to full ownership and to subsidise the price for the incoming household,' says Richard Clarke of the Building and Social Housing Foundation.

'It's a question of "half a loaf or no bread" for families who could not get on the housing ladder otherwise. They are not going to get rich from a CLT, but they can get enough equity to help them on their way.'

For more information, contact:

The CLT website, run by Salford University: www.communitylandtrust.org.uk.

Cornwall Rural Housing Association: www.crha.org.uk.

The Building and Social Housing Foundation: www.bshf.org.uk.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007

Work has started on the construction of six homes for rent on land at Normandy Farm, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly.

The three 2 bedroom houses and three 3 bedroom houses are being built on land acquired from the Duchy of Cornwall and grant funding is being provided by the Housing Corporation.

The homes are being constructed by Chiverton Builders Limited and are due to be completed by Christmas 2007.

Commission for Rural Communities

Our development at Tresmeer was featured on the cover of the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) publication "CRC ST04 - The use of second homes Council Tax discount in Cornwall".

Click the link below for a link to the CRC website:

http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/publications/crcst04theuseofsecondhomescounciltaxdiscountincornwall

or click the link below to go straight to the PDF file:

http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/files/CRCST04-TheUseofSecondHomesCouncilTaxDiscountinCornwallCornw.pdf

Unfortunately the CRC has incorrectly credited the property pictured on the front cover as as a Tor Homes development - it isn't.

The seven homes at Hendra Garth, Tresmeer were developed by Cornwall Rural Housing Association on land acquired from Cornwall County Council, with grant funding from North Cornwall District Council.

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