Following on from the community housing survey last month, we are opening a confidential register for anyone interested in affordable housing opportunities in the parish. The idea behind this is to show proof of demand within the community. Bear in mind this is very likely going to be a long term project, so you might not need housing right now, but would be interested in a few years.

What data would you need to hold?

We’d like to get basic contact details (email address and/or phone number), how many people (eg single person, family of 2 or 3 etc) and whether you would be willing to rent and/or buy.

Who would you share the data with?

The register would be held in a password protected spreadsheet on Google Drive, so only those with the password, and with access to the Community Google drive file, would be able to access it. This number would be limited to 2 people in the core group so that we can contact you if needed.  Your details will never be shared with anyone else.

How do I express an interest?

Email greystokecommunitygroup@gmail.com with your name, contact details, number of people and whether you would be interested in renting or buying (or either) and we will add you to the register.

What happens if I no longer need affordable housing?

If you no longer need or want to be on the register, email us and ask us to remove you. Additionally we’ll undertake an annual review of the list to make sure we only ever hold data for those actively still looking.

Is this the same as the Eden Housing Register?

No! Absolutely not. You should also join the Housing Register – that’s the most important thing to do. Our ‘register’ is simply a method of showing demand over time. You can find out more about joining the housing register here: How do I qualify for housing?

The post Register Interest in Community Housing appeared first on Greystoke Community Land Trust.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill in the survey, whether online, or paper. We got 89 responses in total, and we have spent the past week looking at the answers and working out our next steps. As a group we are committed to sharing information regularly and asking for, and listening to, feedback. So to start that process here is a summary of the survey.

What’s next though? Well we have some volunteers to hopefully recruit to the group to expand our skills, and the survey has given us lots of ideas on what to explore next, notably in terms of understanding any potential infrastructure concerns (See question 8!)

If you’ve got any comments on the results, or would like to help, please get in touch at greystokecommunitygroup@gmail.com or leave a comment below!

1. Do you believe that residents should be more closely involved in housing development within Greystoke and the wider parish?

The first question asked if you thought the community should be more closely involved in housing development, and over 93% of replies said yes.

Percentage Breakdown

Yes: 93.3% (83)
No Strong Opinion: 6.7% (6)

2. Do you think the parish would benefit from the provision of affordable homes to enable more young people and families to live in the parish?

The vast majority of responses to the survey for this question were positive, with nearly 90% agreeing.

Percentage Breakdown

Yes: 89.9% (80)
No: 5.6% (5)
No Strong Opinion: 4 (4.5%)

3. Are you aware of people with a work or family connection to Greystoke who would like to move into the area but are not in a financial position to do so?

40% of respondents are aware of people who would live to move into the area but cannot afford to do so.

Percentage Breakdown

Yes: 40.4% (36)
No: 59.6% (53)

4. Please state your reasons for the answer you gave to question 2, and any information you are willing to share on question 3.

We got some great responses to this question with common themes including diversity of the community and the importance of young people and families being able to live here and support local services and businesses. There was a really strong sentiment in support of the vibrancy of the community and keeping the village alive.

5. If you answered yes to question 2, please indicate how many affordable homes you would approve of.

There looks to be strong support for a good number of affordable houses, with 65% of people selecting 8 or more.

Percentage Breakdown

Don’t Know and 1*: 15.7% (14)
2: 1.1% (1)
4: 4.5% (4)
6: 13.5% (12)
8: 19.1% (17)
More than 8: 46.1% (41)

*Some selected 1 as they didn’t know, and the survey was amended

6. Do you believe that any new affordable homes should have local occupancy restrictions?

An overwhelming 85% of respondents agreed that new affordable homes should have some sort of local occupancy restrictions.

Percentage Breakdown

Yes: 85.4% (76)
No: 4.5% (4)
No Strong Opinion: 10.1% (9)

7. If you answered yes to question 6, what do you think the restrictions should be?

Some of the themes highlighted in responses here were that homes should be the main residence, with no holiday homes allowed and that there should be a local connection, whether through work, especially key workers, or family

8. What, if any, areas of general concern would need to be addressed if more houses were to be built in Greystoke?

Answers to this question has given us some real insights into the potential issues that new housing would bring to the community – and it’s really helped focus us on areas to investigate – so thank you! Some of the main concerns were around infrastructure, whether that be roads, sewerage, traffic volume, the lack of public transport or increased flooding potential. The environment and preserving the character of the village also came across strongly, as well as a desire for the homes to be affordable to run, in terms of being energy efficient, as well as affordable to buy or rent.

9. Do you currently live in Greystoke Parish?

We asked this question to get a better understanding of the replies – and we encouraged people to fill this in whether they lived in the parish, or wanted to move in but couldn’t. 88 of the 89 respondents do live in Greystoke Parish.

Percentage Breakdown

Yes: 98.9%(88)
No: 1.1% (1)

The post Community Housing Survey Results appeared first on Greystoke Community Land Trust.

It’s important to note that there is already affordable housing in Greystoke. Regardless of whether we need, or want, more, there are houses which can become available.

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).

To be able to bid on a property, you must have joined the housing register.

Join the Housing Register

Joining the housing register is the first, crucial step. You can join from age 16. Our housing register is run by Cumbria Choice and you can read more about how to do that on their site. Eden Housing Association advertise properties through Cumbria Choice and have some more information on this here: https://www.edenha.org.uk/

How to Join the Housing Register

Westmorland and Furness Council have a great page explaining how to go this, and we’re not going to repeat that, so check it out here: https://www.eden.gov.uk/housing-services/housing-allocations/how-to-join-the-housing-register/ It’s got links to all the resources you’ll need, plus Eden Housing Association contact details.

What’s the Takeaway from this?

We already have affordable housing in the Parish, and your first step on the way to getting a property is to register your interest. We’ll publicise any affordable housing opportunities we become aware of. But the takeaway from this is register now – don’t wait for more affordable housing to be built!

The post How do I qualify for Housing? appeared first on Greystoke Community Land Trust.

Let’s get some definitions!

What is Social Housing?

The aim of social housing is to provide affordable rental or shared ownership properties for those most in need who might not otherwise be able to afford to rent or buy a property. Social housing is usually provided at a lower cost than the market rate, making it some of the most affordable housing in the UK. Social housing is often provided by a housing association or council, and you will usually have to register with them. Our closest housing association is Eden Housing Association, and they allocate housing using Cumbria Choice – a partnership between Westmorland & Furness and Cumberland councils, and several Social Housing Providers

What is 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, thereby increasing opportunities for people who don’t have sufficient income to buy or rent properties through the market to secure a suitable home. Affordable housing is typically provided by private developers as part of / within a (larger) development of homes built for sale at the prevailing market rates.

What is Community Housing?

More properly we might call this Community Led Housing. This is where the community work to bring housing back into use or build new houses for the local community, It’s driven by the community, for the community. Community Led Homes describes it this way:

Community led housing is where:

1. Meaningful community engagement and consent occurs throughout the development process. The community does not necessarily have to initiate and manage the process, or build the homes themselves, though some may do. 
2. The local community group or organisation owns, manages or stewards the homes and in a manner of their choosing, and this may be done through a mutually supported arrangement with a Registered Provider that owns the freehold or leasehold for the property. 
3. The benefits to the local area and/or specified community must be clearly defined and legally protected in perpetuity.

Community Led Housing is a mechanism by which the community might deliver either Social or Affordable Housing for the local community. Of course the options are not that limited, and Community Led Housing can build some very innovative schemes, such as this cohousing scheme in Lancaster.

What’s the Difference between Social And Affordable Housing?

The main difference between social housing and affordable housing is that social housing is primarily aimed at people on benefits or with disabilities, or facing financial hardship. Affordable housing may be too expensive for those on benefits.

So what do we want to build?

The truth is, it’s far too early to answer that question at the moment. But whether it is Social Housing, Affordable Housing, or even no housing at all, the decision lies with the Community, because we believe this must be community led. And this is where the short survey comes in! It’s really important that we gather as many views as possible to inform our next steps. This is your chance to have your say and shape the future of our community.

The post Social, Community or Affordable Housing? appeared first on Greystoke Community Land Trust.