Plans for new homes in Iden will be discussed next month. A meeting at Iden Village Hall on February 4 will hear about proposals for a Community Land Trust (CLT), a not for profit community based organisation that manages local assets such as housing, pubs and shops. CLTs are growing in popularity, with 30 established in Sussex and over 350 nationally.
Tom Warder, a CLT advisor who manages the Sussex Community Housing Hub, explains more about a very different model for local housing to the three big developments already planned for Rye – and one which has already had success in Icklesham.
Community-led housing involves local people playing a leading and lasting role in solving housing problems, creating genuinely affordable homes and strong communities. Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are non-profit community-based organisations set up to provide and manage local needs housing and other community assets.
The first CLT affordable housing scheme in Sussex was completed in 2023 by Icklesham Parish CLT and provided 15 homes for local people in need, mainly for social rent. The homes will always be allocated to local households as determined by a local Lettings Plan which the CLT designed and will oversee in perpetuity.
Libby Gibbons is one of the tenants in the Icklesham CLT at Orchard Close. “Where I lived before there were 7 of us in a small 3-bedroom house and we were living on top of each other. Then me and my partner moved here, and our son was born a few weeks later. It’s made a massive difference to our lives, having our own home, having lots of space and a garden. I love it.”
The Icklesham Parish Community Land Trust played a pivotal role in the development of the site working in partnership with the Parish Council, Sussex Community Housing Hub, Rother District Council and Hastoe Housing Association.
Geoff Foot, Chairman of Icklesham Parish Community Land Trust, said: “For many years Icklesham Parish Council has been concerned at the dearth of local affordable housing… Younger families were having to leave the villages or were having to live in unsuitable accommodation. We received over 500 bids for the houses and a number of deserving applicants had to be turned down. Certainly, for me it brought home the scale of the problem with the lack of local affordable housing, both here and across the district.”
Since this project completed, a new CLT has come into being in the neighbouring
parishes of Pett, Guestling and Fairlight called Marsham CLT. This three parish CLT
is also motivated by the desire to provide genuinely affordable housing and a sustainable development that meets local needs, as identified in their own housing needs survey.
There is now interest in forming CLTs in both Rye and Iden, giving the opportunity
this model presents in acquiring local sites and stewarding them for long term
community benefit. And in view of the considerable needs for affordable housing
locally.
A Parish Housing Needs Survey was undertaken in Rye in 2023 which identified 123
households – all with a local connection – in need of affordable housing. Furthermore, there was strong support (92%) for local affordable housing provision and 64% of respondents expressed support for a community led approach to this.
In Iden, local people are also interested in this approach and the scope for a local
CLT to acquire and develop local assets. There is already a shop in community
ownership and there is the potential to expand this asset base and bring local land
and property into community ownership.
A small team of community led housing advisers form the Sussex Community Housing Hub, an enabling service within the local charity, Action in rural Sussex. We provide technical advice and support to community led housing groups and projects across Sussex. The Hub has been invited by Iden Parish Council to the meeting on February 4 to talk about how community led housing works and examples of successful CLTs across the county and beyond.
CLTs are run by local people for local people and so do rely on the energy and
commitment of volunteers to drive these projects forward.
CLTs are also membership-based organisations which need the support of their community to be able to fully engage with and respond to community needs, so a wider membership is also encouraged. Get involved and become part of this growing local movement to build great homes and stronger communities.
If you feel inspired by community led housing and the CLT model or feel you have something to offer as a board member then please do get in touch either with the CLTs direct (Marsham and Icklesham as existing ones) or me – Tom Warder – to discuss what’s involved and how you might play a part. For more information on Sussex CLTs visit the hub’s website www.sussexcommunityhousinghub.org/
For further information on community led housing click here.
Image Credits: Tom Warder .