ECLT is a group of concerned Eastington Parishioners, who believe that meeting the housing needs of our own residents is good for the community as a whole. We also value our rural landscape, and know that we can meet this need with the absolute minimum loss of our green spaces, and without the blight of the additional ‘enabling’ development that market developers would demand.
When ECLT was incorporated in 2016 the defined “housing need” was for 23 homes for Affordable Rent. Creating the project to meet that need and ensuring the homes would remain affordable in perpetuity was the primary driver for the first few years. This had to be financed through grants and through forming a partnership with a Housing Association, Aster Homes.
Aster Homes took over the responsibility for Fullers Close in 2019 and the start-on-site released ECLT to concentrate on Project Two – responding to the 2019 Housing Needs Survey. Most likely this rhythm of managing a pre-Planning Permission project will recur after the 2024 Housing Needs Survey, providing our main raison d’être.
ECLT will eventually have ‘assets’ ( the building land ) and an income from ground rent. This, together with the substantial turn-over of grants, needs to be fully accountable, and our actions are regulated by the Financial Control Authority.
There are certain things that a CLT must be and do:
- A CLT must be set up to benefit a defined community;
- A CLT must be not-for-private-profit. This means that they can, and should, make a surplus as a community business, but that surplus must be used to benefit the community;
- Local people living or working in the community, must have the opportunity to join the CLT as members;
- Those members control the CLT – usually via a board of trustees being elected from the membership.
Eastington Community Land Trust (ECLT) Limited is a Registered Society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.
Registration date: 3rd November 2016 Registration number:7425
Defined Community
Our ‘defined community’ is the village of Alkerton and the Traditional Hamlets of Eastington.
Note: The West of Stonehouse development, Great Oldbury, was sited in the Parish in 2016 to meet the strategic needs of the whole of the Gloucestershire ‘Homeseeker Plus’ area. It does contain some affordable rented housing, but existing Eastington people have no priority access and compete normally with all other applicants from across the extended district. Also, these affordable rent homes are not protected from ‘right to buy’ legislation will be eroded over time. The area has not been included in the’ Area of Benefit’ for Eastington CLT since it is growing rapidly and it is expected that, in a few years time, it will become separated from Eastington and have it’s own parish or, more likely town, council.
Supporting Democratic Principles
We currently have over 100 members amongst the community. If you live, work or have family in Eastington, you can join us. Life membership costs a token £1, and gives you full voting rights to elect board members – or stand to be a board member – and participate in group meetings. You are very welcome to join us – please use the contact details on our Welcome page.
All members are welcome to attend ‘Board Meetings’ mainly as observers but there will always be an opportunity to speak or ask questions.
Our inaugural Board of Trustees was elected at a Special General Meeting on 1st Dec 2016 as follows:
- Chair: Tom Morrison
- Vice Chair: Muriel Bullock
- Secretary: Tom Low
- Treasurer: Lynne Farnden
- Trustees:
- Alison Loverage
- Sharon Wells
- Paul Mannings
- Alan Brasier
- Martin Elliot
- Two vacancies to be filled by the future tenants’ representatives
- Ex-officio member: Stroud District Councillor John Jones
At the 2019 AGM, Paul Mannings stood down and all other Trustees were re-elected to their roles. Georgina Brocklehurst joined the Board.
The next planned election of Trustees will be the 2022 AGM
There is a national CLT movement, with some 350 CLTs across the country, mainly in the South West. ECLT is a full member of the National CLT and secured a grant of £4,000 to fund our early stages. Their website has lots more information
click here to visit the National CLT website
You can also see the full ECLT Rule Book on our ‘Documents‘ pages.
Our History in brief:
- 2012 to 2013 – Parish Survey (more than just housing)
- June 2013 – Parish Plan published – need for affordable homes identified – Community Land Trust proposed.
- October 2013 – Housing Needs Survey started
- October 2013 – ECLT founded with 23 members
- February 2014 – Housing Needs Survey report from Glos. Rural Community Council
- March 2015 – Joined National CLT Network and Selected Aster Group as preferred Housing Association partner
- August 2016 – Agreed Heads of Terms for a site in Claypits
- October 2016 – Grant of £2,000 from Parish Solar Fund
- November 2016 – Became registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act
- November 2016 – Grant of £9,750 from LOCALITY for Feasibility Study
- December 2016 – First Board elected
- March 2017 – Pre-Application advice from Stroud DC
- April 2017 – Feasibility Report completed and presented to Parish Council (read the full Feasibility Report – .pdf format)
- April 2017 – Two public consultation Drop-In events : membership tops 100
- May 2017 – Grant of £4,000 from Parish Solar Fund
- June 2017– Grant of £40,000 from LOCALITY for Pre-Planning Application Phase
- September 2017 – Grant facility for £20,000 agreed with Stroud DC
- May to December 2017 – nine consultants’ reports and associated modifications to site layout (see Pre-Planning Application Phase)
- December 2017 – First AGM with display of final layouts.
- August 2017 – ongoing in 2018 – legal agreements for Conditional Contracts and 125-year lease
- September 2019 – ECLT instigates Project Two, Solar Fund grant for £8,000 and application for Homes England funding.
- October 2019 – Project One Contracts signed – ECLT becomes owner in perpetuity of what will become Fullers Close for £1 and Aster Homes take 125-year lease. Aster Homes engage EG Carter of Gloucester to build out the site.
- December 2019 – Golden Spade ceremony with BBC Points West coverage
- January 2020- –Project Two research begins with site surveys and acoustic report
- March 2020 – Fullers Close first building erected – the four flats
- March-May 2020 – Coronavirus lockdown, site closed for 6 weeks
- April 2020 – Project Two funds from Homes England, £72k facility, approved, then £36k claimed and received for Feasibility Study.
- June 2020 – Fullers Close site re-opens mid-May, plots 13/14 and 9/11 framed and roofed