Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs
We’ve tried to pull together answers to some questions you might have. If you have a question and can’t find the answer please email us. We’ll get back to you – and update this list!
How many homes are there in Greystoke?
Including Fawn Meadows, there are 320 homes in Greystoke village and almost 100 more in the surrounding parish. According to the Local Plan produced by Eden District Council in 2018, there are expected to be 332 homes in Greystoke village by 2032.
How many of these homes are second homes or holiday lets?
According to Westmorland and Furness Council, there were 39 (34) second homes and 25 (27) holiday lets in Greystoke village and the surrounding parish in July 2024 (2023 figures in brackets).
Why is affordable housing a problem for Greystoke?
Greystoke is an historic village and parish with excellent amenities, and located close to the national park. This makes the cost of housing relatively high – but incomes for people working in rural areas can be relatively low. This makes it difficult for young people and families to afford to live here. But it is young people and families who are essential for the social and economic sustainability of communities.
Is there a standard definition for ‘affordable housing’?
Affordable housing is generally understood to mean homes that are for sale or rent at prices that are lower than those prevailing in the local housing market. This increases opportunities for people who don’t have sufficient income to buy or rent properties through the market to secure a suitable home. For more on this, and the definition of social housing, see: https://greystokeclt.org.uk/news/social-community-or-affordable-housing/
What affordable housing already exists in Greystoke and how often does it become available?
It is estimated that 33 homes in Greystoke meet a definition of ‘affordable’, such as those let by Eden Housing in Castle Gardens and Park Road. It’s hard to estimate how many homes become available in a typical year, but we can use data on bidding on Cumbria Choice Based Lettings. Bids can only be made when properties become available for letting. In 2023 no bids were made, suggesting that no properties became available, In the previous years the lowest number of bids received per year was 46, in 2022. 87 bids were received in 2021. 115 bids were received in 2020 (applicants can bid up to 3 times per property).
Why is a local group looking at affordable housing provision in Greystoke?
If young people and families are priced out of living in Greystoke and working locally the whole community will be undermined. Fawn Meadows was supposed to include 12 affordable homes, but in the end only 6 were provided. The community group wants to establish whether there is support for seeking alternative ways of securing affordable housing for Greystoke Parish.
What is the role of community groups in affordable housing?
This group is keen to understand the extent of local support for the provision of affordable housing through a community led initiative. Westmorland and Furness Council defines community led housing as ‘when people from the local community work together to develop new housing. This is usually in response to local needs, for example, where there is a need for more affordable housing in the area.’
What does community led housing mean in practice?
Every community led housing project is different. But according to the Community Led Homes partnership, community led housing is where: Community engagement and consent occurs throughout the process; A local community group or organisation owns, manages or stewards the homes; and The benefits to the community are clearly defined and legally protected.
Community Led Homes also says that community led housing is not a ‘a tokenistic consultation, a housing association scheme with the backing of a parish council or community [or] a bog-standard housing development’.
Does community led housing involve only building new homes?
No. One option is to secure progressively existing homes for the community as they become available and then make them available under an affordable housing scheme.
Are there examples of community led housing elsewhere in Cumbria?
Yes. For example, the Above Derwent Community Land Trust was established to ‘provide affordable homes for income-qualified people in the community’. Its first homes were built in Pow Wood, Portinscale. The Patterdale Parish Community Land Trust was set up to provide ‘local occupancy, affordable housing within the parish’. They have had plans approved for 10 homes. And there is also the Keswick Community Housing Trust which so far has built 40 affordable homes in Keswick.
How are community led homes funded?
There is a wide range of potential funding sources, including the national Affordable Homes Programme to support the capital costs of providing affordable housing for sale or rent. Also community led homes programmes generally involve partnerships with established housing and community organisations to ensure success.
How many affordable homes are envisaged for Greystoke?
That depends on the views of the people living in the village and wider parish, which is why the community group is undertaking the survey in the early part of 2024.
Where would any new homes be built in Greystoke?
It’s much too early to say whether, or where, any new homes might be built. Like any other development, any new homes would require planning permission and would have to be in keeping with the special character of the village and parish and the local environment more broadly. One of the benefits of community led housing is that, as Community Led Homes put it, community engagement and consent occurs throughout the process.
Who would be eligible for any affordable housing created in Greystoke?
Eligibility criteria would have to be formally defined and legally protected. The Above Derwent Community Land Trust has a comprehensive policy for allocating affordable homes, where applicants need to demonstrate that they have a local connection with the area and meet an agreed definition of housing need, based on being unable to afford to rent or buy in the area. It’s likely that the policy for any affordable housing in Greystoke would be along these lines. It is also likely houses would require to be fully occupied.