Questions from the drop in sessions
Drop in questions
This is a work in progress – a list of all the questions we’re being asked at public meetings or drop-in sessions. Please also see our FAQs page for more general questions on affordable housing
Questions on the Community Land Trust
How can we get people with the skills that are needed?
Appeals for help for specific tasks. Can we put in an appeal here for people with financial and legal experience please?!
Is the membership limited to the parish or wider?
See also the next question – tbc but we think we have a working definition now thanks to discussions with the community. We could also consider “supporters” – but they would not have voting rights.
Membership: How will the residents of Fort Putnam and parts of the Gill be considered in terms of “living, working, volunteering” in the area is concerned since FP is technically within Dacre Parish not Greystoke?
Great question! We need to properly define membership of the Community Land Trust – and this makes clear it cannot be parish boundaries. Suggestion of living / working / volunteering sounds really good (volunteers are employees from an insurance point of view)
What does membership give me?
So long as you support the aims of the Community Land Trust (See our values and vision) and (tbc, see above) live, work or volunteer in the parish you will be able to join as a member. This gives you voting rights on all key decisions the CLT makes, and gives the CLT real legitimacy in return. The CLT should be, and we want it to be, a community led group.
Questions on the type and number of houses
How many houses do we want to build?
The Housing Needs Survey (HNS) will help us answer that question.
Will the houses be for sale or rent?
The Housing Needs Survey (HNS) will help us answer that
Will any new houses include single storey/bungalows?
The Housing Needs Survey (HNS) will help us answer that – if the HNS demonstrates there is a need, then yes.
Will there be sheltered housing?
See the HNS!
Who will live in the new houses?
We would need to agree a policy with Eden Housing. It is likely to be similar to their existing local lettings policy – so within the Parish first. We currently have a confidential list of 7 households looking for affordable homes to rent / buy
Will accessibility needs / people with disabilities be taken into account
Yes, see the HNS.
How can we keep the rent of the affordable houses to people of the village?
3 ways – The CLT asset lock, a covenant in the title perhaps, and a s106 local occupancy order.
Will any new properties have heat pumps and solar panels?
Ideally yes, although high standards of insulation well above the statutory minimum to which most commercial developers work is more important than either of these.
What would any site look like on completion?
We’d like the community to decide that. Patterdale held a competition for various architects and the community chose – we really like that idea.
Second homes issue. What if someone were to buy a property as their first home or sole residence and subsequently bought a second property elsewhere. Would the Greystoke property be considered as a “second” home at that point?
Good question. We need to look into this!
When are we planning to raise funds and how long will it take to fruition?
Chris Fawcett (CEO Eden Housing) thought 3-5 years might be realistic best case scenario. It could take much longer.
Who applies for the funding?
At a high level – The CLT apply for funding to purchase the land, and EHA apply for Homes England grant funding for the houses.
Has anyone approached Enterprise Cumbria as part of this enterprise?
No (we’ve not approached anyone yet!) – we need to follow this up as to what they could offer.
Questions on the potential site
Flooding concerns / fears at Poplin Beck and its surrounds based on history especially following the most recent flooding (January 2025) at Howard Park
Our starting position for the potential site is this: Anna and Henry say any construction cannot and must not make the flooding in Howard Park worse. That’s their red line, and that’s our red line too. We need to work out if this is possible.
How will the potential site be accessed from the road?
Highways Department have said in the past access from Regional Route 71 (Little Blencow Rd) is not an issue so that is our working assumption.
What about pedestrian access to the potential site?
This would need to be addressed as part of the overall plan