Author Archives: Tom Low

Homeground secured for homes to be built for local people

ECLT is pleased to report that it has now taken ownership of the Homeground site and Eastington can look forward to another development of affordable homes to be delivered by Spring 2026.

There will be 21 homes for Social Rent and 10 homes for Affordable Shared Ownership. All homes will be subject to the same Local Connection rules that applied in Fullers Close five years ago, when all 23 homes for Affordable Rent were tenanted by folks with a strong local connection to the parish.

There will be 1, 2 and 3 bed homes, as derived from the Housing Need Survey of 2019, in other words, what Eastington people said they needed most.

The 2019 Survey also highlighted a strong interest in Shared Ownership, a means by which people can part-purchase/part-rent homes, allowing for increasing percentages of purchase as these homeowners feel able.

ECLT and our partners Two Rivers Housing will be holding more Drop-ins at the Village Hall in the New Year to share knowledge on both the rented and shared ownership options.

Meanwhile, watch out for the contractors moving in, possibly before the end of November.

Photos of activity and news of Drop-ins will be available in the February 2025 edition of ECN but you can keep up with progress under the Project Two section of this website.

I am delighted to inform you that ECLT has now achieved Full Planning Permission for Project Two, as of 24^th January 2024.

Whilst this is a major stepping stone for Project Two, work cannot commence on building the scheme until a few more hurdles are negotiated.

Our Housing Association partners, Two Rivers, will now take on the main burden, tendering to a mix of local contractors and then securing the necessary grants from Homes England. In these times of uncertainty and inflation in the housebuilding sector, it’s not easy to predict timescales but with a fair wind, we could see spades in the ground by the end of 2024.

A fuller picture will be painted at the AGM on 29^th February, which is open to all members and indeed the public. 7.00pm for 7.15 at the Village Hall, agenda and annual accounts on this website, under “Docs and Links”

Tom Morrison, Chairman, February 2024

AGM to be held 29th February 2024 7.00pm

All ECLT Members are invited to attend the AGM, to be held in the Village Hall.

The AGM is also open to the public, although only Members may vote.

The Agenda will appear here soon.

The Externally Examined Accounts are available under “Docs & Links”

On 2nd February, the Sixth Annual General Meeting of ECLT Ltd was very well attended. Minutes can be read here: Minutes of Sixth AGM 02 02 2023

The meeting marked the retirement of Alan Brasier, who has served on the original Steering Group and then ECLT Ltd Board for nearly 10 years. Alan has also given generous help to Keep Eastington Rural over more than two decades. He is replaced by Sarah Underdown, who also has a KER background amongst other contributions to Parish activities.

Present for the meeting were nine of the original 23 members who gathered to initiate ECLT in October 2013. Membership has now reached 158, of whom 140 are “active”, in that they still live in, or have a strong family connection in the Traditional Hamlets of Eastington.

Chair Tom Morrison’s review of 2021-2022, as given to the AGM, is available here: ECLT Village – AGM 2023

Tom Low, acting Treasurer

Members of the public are invited to attend a display of plans and street scenes of Project Two on:

Thursday 24th March between 2.30 pm and 7.00pm

Coffees and teas served whilst you browse…………..

Our planning application was validated by Stroud DC on 21st January 2022, reference S.21/3014/FUL

click here to see all the details on the Stroud DC planning website

You can track progress on the Project Two pages