Category: Uncategorized

Happy New Year to all our readers!

MCLT is expecting to hear any day now from Homes England that we have cleared the final hurdle in our grant application  to undertake a feasibility study on our proposed site.

We seem to have been waiting for some while but understand there are a lot of applications which have to be carefully scrutinised and all MCLT Board members have had to be put through what is called a ‘due diligence’ process. This all seems right and proper  but it is hard waiting for the final letter of approval.

When we hear from Homes England we will let you all know. Then we can get on with  exploring our proposed site and all being well, bring a draft design proposal  to the village for consultation.

The government backed Feed-in Tariff  for the installation of Photovoltaic solar panels ends in March 2019 – see the MCLT Energy Working Group Photovoltaic Panels on Your Roof? page for further details.

 Notes on MCLT Consultation meeting: July 21 2018: Community Centre 12noon

Chair: Christine Eden

All MCLT Board present: Oliver Shirley, David Dodd, Simon Turner, Ian Dawes, Jim Brookes, Ian Jones, Jenny Gibbons.

Approx. 106 members of community attended.

The meeting started with a welcome and introductions to:

• the MCLT Board & Steve Watson , the affordable housing advisor from Wessex Community Land Trust Project which deals with 40 CLTs across the south west
• the role of CLTs in being able to acquire and hold assets that benefit the community in perpetuity
• MCLT’s first project is to build affordable housing for people with a housing need and strong local connection
• this meeting is bringing a site to the community at early stage to identify if village support proposal

Purpose of meeting:

• to get an ‘in principle’ support for proposed site and if received, MCLT will then proceed to undertake a feasibility study to check site is appropriate.
• to listen to comments and to answer questions.

Brief account of process of site search: Working within South Glos policy of Rural Exception Sites. This means that affordable housing to meet local needs can be permitted on sites where market housing would not normally be acceptable. Must be for people with a housing need and with a local connection -exactly what the MCLT is aiming to do. Policy also allows for small number of market homes.

 Site search since July 2016 involved 4 stages:

1.Used large scale maps and aerial photos to identify every potential development site in and around the village and came up with a total of 31 sites adjacent to the village boundary.

2.Assessed sites against no of criteria in a systematic way: used South Glos Council’s guidelines on searching for sites in rural communities: eg size, access, relationship to the settlement, etc, took advice based on other CLT experiences, informal advice from SGC planners and drew on local experience and knowledge e.g. effects of possible development on traffic, parking, existing services, site gradient, views in and out of the village, level of anticipated community acceptance etc.

3.Then approached a number of owners that best met criteria to see if would sell site ; some negotiations went on for a long time- endless emails, meetings, drawing up Heads of Terms. But not possible to reach an agreement that was acceptable to owners and the MCLT.

4. Reviewed position and adopted alternative approach.

Phase 2 followed same process but:

1. Identified sites close to settlement boundary but not adjacent
2. Assessed these sites against our criteria
3. Opened negotiations with land owners by offering small number of market plots in exchange for the land for affordable houses and some MCLT market plots. Could do this because rural exception site policy allows for a small number of market houses.
4. Negotiations with land owners led to current position where a site seems appropriate and available.

Steve Watson showed some CLT sites at various stages of build.

Indicates how a CLT and a community working together can actually deliver affordable homes for local people in our community.

Discussion of site:

1.6 acres. Not adjacent to  but east of school: owned by Mike Ball.

No of factors make site a possibility including fact that site falls within SGC exception sites policy.

Proposing a scheme of 18 homes:

• 12 affordable house, prioritised for local people- rent and shared ownership depending on Housing need survey
• 3 market plots for MCLT which will be used by the CLT to cross subsidise the affordable housing and help get rents to a level which are genuinely affordable
• 3 plots for the owner in recognition of providing the other 15 plots at no cost to the MCLT.

Questions from meeting

Questions	Answers
Will there be a footpath / access that’s not on the main road for people to access services?	Will carry out technical feasibility work. Access a key issue. Feel sure S Glos will insist on a pedestrian link.
What’s the constraint on plot size, why not take it to farm?	Farmer wanted to ensure there was a buffer between the farm buildings and new buildings
Will there be parking facilities with each house	Yes, can’t build without making parking available
Why not choose plot closer to the school?	Not owned by the landowner of the MCLT proposed site
Will the speed limit along the road be changed?	Don’t know, points of access and speed limit will need to be addressed with Highways, -if we want planning permission we will have to meet their demands.
Logical to be east of the village. But why is it to the right of the spare land next to the school	Owner of plot next to school told meeting that MCLT had been offered 12 plots of the greenbelt site to east of school as part of larger development to include doctor’s surgery. They are taking professional advice & at early stages. Not yet clear what will be a commercially viable scheme. Want a dialogue with the village and S Glos on this. MCLT responded that they need a rural exception site for local connection to be given priority. Also issue of timing and MCLT approach is about community led development so not accepted this offer.
Can the piece of land be divided so that some is rural exception site and some not?	MCLT had requested this but that offer not available.
What would be the cost of the houses?	Not for sale : mainly rent with some shared ownership
What is shared ownership?	Some down payment. Mortgage for some of it and pay rent on remainder
Will the houses proposed never be fully owned by anybody?	Correct – has to be held by MCLT for the benefit of the community in perpetuity
Will shared ownership allow ‘stair casing’?	Only to limit of 80% ownership (and at that point anticipated owner would move on)

Comments also made about the advantages of trying to work together as a community.

Meeting thanked MCLT for their work in pursuing the affordable housing project.

Indication of level of support

David Dodd asked meeting to indicate general level of approval of proposed site. Not a formal vote but a straw pole to give MCLT a broad feeling of support so can move on to the next stage of a feasibility study. This will draw on the expertise of housing associations and professionals such as architects and surveyors to ensure that the site is viable and feasible for our affordable housing project. As that progresses MCLT will bring planning application back for consultation.

Very strong support: 100 indicated support, no-one against and 6 abstentions.

Meeting closed with thanks to all who attended for interest and support. Also thanks to members, Parish Council and Ben Stokes and Steve Reade our SG councillors for their support. Recognised that many hurdles yet to jump.

Reminder of Housing Need Survey whose results will be important for the MCLT. Outline of MCLT proposal available as a handout. MCLT always pleased to hear comments, and suggestions through our website. MCLT will keep village informed of developments and will consult on planning application.

The news you have all been waiting for!

At the packed informal consultation meeting held at noon on 21st July 2018 the MCLT board announced the location of the proposed site. See the location in  Handout 2 provided at the meeting.

At the show of hands at the end of the meeting there was was overwhelming support for the MCLT board to move to a full feasibility study. There were some abstentions and no objections.

 

 

 

Download as PDF

MCLT Consultation meeting July 21^st 2018

Marshfield Community Centre Small Hall 12.00 noon

Background to development of MCLT and its site search

MCLT Governance and membership

• MCLT is a not- for-private – profit, community benefit society registered with the Financial Conduct Authority.
• CLTs can own land  and  other  assets  which  are of benefit and important to the  community and then are held in perpetuity for the community.
• Most CLTs have started with securing affordable housing for people and families with a local connection but also explore other community benefits.
• CLTs aims to ensure that local people remain in control of local assets.
• CLTs develop  and  manage  these  assets  in  partnership  with  g. Housing Associations to  ensure  their  long-term  sustainability.
• MCLT is open to membership to all supporting its aims and agree to the ways of working set out by the Rules and the MCLT standing orders.
• Membership of MCLT is by purchase  of  shares  at  £1
• The MCLT  is  managed  by  a  Board  of  Directors  elected by members and  accountable to its members[1].

Why a CLT was set up in Marshfield

The catalyst was the serious divisions within the Marshfield community revealed due to a developer wanting to erect 37 houses following a Housing Need Survey which indicated a considerable level of affordable housing need in Marshfield[2].

There was a strong negative reaction that can be summarised thus;

• the scheme was too big;
• it would spoil the local landscape; and,
• people of the village did not want any more market development but support for affordable housing for people with local connections.

At an informal meeting the scheme was voted against by large majority & a petition against the development was signed by 500 people.

The developer withdrew leaving the affordable housing problem unresolved.

This led to emergence of Marshfield CLT.

Emergence of MCLT

Wessex CLT Project were approached and an introductory meeting with Parish Councillors and other interested parties held. Over 70 people attended a public meeting to launch a CLT project chaired by the Chairman of the Parish Council. More than 70 people attended.

The meeting set up a steering committee of 15 people to take things forward.

By July 2016 we had;

• set up Marshfield CLT as a Community Benefit Society under Financial Services Agency signing up to the Rules under the Cooperative Act 2014;
• established a board of directors;
• gained the active support of the Parish Council and District Councillors;
• canvassed for support locally and gained more than 155 members/shareholders; and,
• agreed that first project would be to develop affordable housing and began search for sites[3].

CLTs and rural exception sites

The MCLT board wanted a site for shared ownership and properties for rent to meet the need identified in the 2013 Housing Need survey which reported:

“there is a realistic demand for shared ownership in the parish but affordable rented homes are the tenure most likely to meet long term, local need in the village.”

This conclusion was based on the information given about the type and size of housing needed and the mortgage capacity of respondents rather than their wants and aspirations.

We hoped that finding a site would be helped by the fact that national and local policy allows affordable housing to be developed on rural exception sites which would not usually be granted planning permission such as green belt and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty because of planning policy constraints.[4]

Legislation states that building in these areas can be permitted where  there  is  a  need  for  affordable  housing  by  people  with  a  local  connection – those who are either current residents or have an existing family or employment connection. Small numbers of market homes may be allowed at the local authority’s discretion.

All this seemed to put Marshfield CLT into a good position as we set about finding a rural exception site which could be purchased at a price appropriate for affordable housing.

First site searches phase

Since July 2016, MCLT has looked at a wide range of sites of about 0.75-1.5 acres around and close to Marshfield, initially drawing on South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) criteria which covers aspects such as;

• relationship of proposed sites to the existing settlement;
• highway and pedestrian access and safety;
• environmental factors, such as landscape form and character, flooding, archaeology and historic character, ecology, agricultural land quality etc.; and,
• implications of any relevant planning policy such as Green Belt, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

We also used our own experience and knowledge to explore factors such as  site gradient ,  the risk to significant views/vistas, negative effects on village gateways, parking, unacceptable volume of traffic within  the village, parking implications, effects on existing facilities, impact on utilities & services and the degree to which a site is likely  to  be  broadly  supported  by  the  village  community.

Using these criteria we identified a group of preferred sites and talked to number of landowners using a cash exchange model but didn’t have any success in getting a site. We just couldn’t attract interest or address the hope value that SGC might change the settlement boundary.

The MCLT board revised the site selection process as it became clear that we could not secure a site through our initial approach.

Second phase of site search leading to our preferred site

Planning policies on exception sites include the phrase ‘related to’ so we began to negotiate with land owners whose land is close to the settlement boundary but not adjacent.

We also used the possibility within planning policies which allows a small number of market houses to be built on rural exception sites along with the affordable homes. We agreed to offer a small number of market plots to the land owners in exchange for the land for affordable houses The same number of market plots would then be used by the CLT to cross subsidise the affordable housing and help get rents to a level which are genuinely affordable. This approach also will provide a mix of tenures and types of housing which is typical of much of Marshfield houses.

No more than a 1/3 of the houses would be market housing. This means on a site suitable for 18 houses, 3 would be market plots for the owner, 3 will be market plots which will cross subsidise the affordable houses and 12 will be affordable housing to include some for rent and some for shared ownership depending in part on what the new housing Need Survey tells us. Such a development will be subject to SGC policies that take account of environmental considerations including landscape and the impact on the openness of the Green Belt and AONB.

The conversations using our new approach have been successful. We have had 3 owners with interest in working with us and are now bringing you our preferred option.

Who is eligible for the affordable homes

Affordable housing is not just for people wanting to live in Marshfield, they also have to have a housing need. To establish this, the  CLT,  SGC and  the  housing  association  will work together to  approve  the  criteria  for  allocating  the  homes.  Criteria will cover two key areas:

• how long has a person lived or worked in the village or  whether a person has  family  who  have  lived  in  the  parish; and,
• whether the information given about the type and size of housing needed and the mortgage capacity of respondents identifies them as being in housing need and eligible for affordable housing.

This will be verified by anyone who wants to be considered for an affordable home needing to register on the SGC Home Choice register.

What happens if the site is supported by the village

The MCLT  will secure a grant  to carry out a feasibility study which will:

• Identify a housing association for MCLT to work with who will fund, build and manage the homes,  taking  the  development  risks and works with  SGC to allocate  the  homes  in  line  with  criteria  approved  by  the  MCLT;
• appoint surveyors;
• chose an architect  who will help design the houses and submit  a pre- planning  application; and,
• bring the design back to the village for consultation and comments before submitting a planning application.

The  MCLT  will  own  the  site  and  lease  it  to  the  housing  association  for  125  years and  will receive a small ground rent which will support the running of the MCLT and new projects.

[1] See MCLT website for more detail on CLTs https://marshfieldclt.org/

Also Wessex Community Land Trust Project that supports 40 CLTs across the south west  https://wessexca.co.uk/wessex-clt-project/projects/

[2] Housing  Need Survey 2013

https://marshfieldclt.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Marshfield-housing-needs-survey-report-final.pdf

[3] Reflects concerns such as that expressed by the Rural Coalition Report 2107:

• “Across rural England there is a severe and growing shortage of affordable housing for local people. Many areas are turning into enclaves of the affluent”.

[4] SGC Exception sites

Affordable Housing can also be developed on land which is well related to a rural settlement through the Council’s exception site policy (CS19). This allows building which would not usually be granted planning permission because of planning policy constraints. A small proportion of market housing may be included to assist in delivering a viable scheme.

This type of development can be justified where it meets an identified  housing need, has the support of the appropriate Parish Council and the development is modest in scale and in keeping with the form and character of the settlement and local landscape setting. (2018: p3  South Gloucestershire Council’s Rural Affordable Housing Statement of Commitment).

See SGC CS19 for more detail http://www.southglos.gov.uk/housing/supplementary-planning-document/

http://www.southglos.gov.uk/documents/AH-ECH-SPD-FINAL-V13-2.6.14-sc-links.pdf

Marshfield Community Land Trust

Consultation on Proposed Site for Affordable Housing

Saturday July 21^st Community Centre; Small Hall 12.00 noon

FAQs

1. What is the MCLT and what does it do?

• The MCLT is a non-profit making organisation which aims to secure assets which are of benefit for the local community.
• Its first project has been to search for a site on which it can build some affordable housing to be held in perpetuity for people with local connections, either current residents or those who have an existing family or employment connection.
• It aims to provide affordable rented homes plus some homes for shared ownership in line with the evidence from the 2013 Marshfield housing needs survey.

2. How is it possible to build affordable housing given the price of land?

• National and local planning policy recognises that there is a problem in building affordable homes given the price of land inside settlement boundaries.
• So it is possible for groups such as the MCLT to get planning approval on land where planning permission would not normally be given for full commercial market housing (eg Green Belt or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). A small number of market homes may also be allowed.

3. What has the MCLT been doing to find some land?

• MCLT started its search by looking at a wide number of sites around the Marshfield settlement boundary and contacted a number of landowners to see if they were interested in selling land. We had a number of conversations but did not actually manage to secure a site in over two years.

4. So how have you acquired the site you are now proposing for consultation?

• We extended our search to sites which are ‘related to’ Marshfield (ie nearby) rather than adjacent to the boundary. We have also used the possibility of some market housing to offer landowners with a suitable site a small number of plots in exchange for the land needed for affordable housing. This proved to be more attractive to landowners.

5. How many houses do you expect to build?

• We expect to build 18 houses of which 12 will be affordable housing to include some for rent and some for shared ownership. There will be three market plots for the landowner and three market plots which will cross subsidise the affordable houses.
• We hope that the result will be a small group of houses with a mix of house sizes, designs and tenures.

6. What size houses do you expect to build?

• We will have more knowledge on what is needed when the new housing needs survey has been completed. The results from that will allow us to make final decisions about the size and configuration of the housing to be provided.
• We anticipate that there will be a mix of affordable housing to include one, two and three bedroomed houses or flats. The market houses are likely to be three/four bedroomed.

7. How will the MCLT ensure the houses are of good quality and design?

• Look at Wessex CLT housing site and you will see the quality of CLT sites
• The MCLT intend that the design of housing and the site layout will be developed in consultation with the village
• Whatever we do it will be subject to South Gloucestershire Council policies that take account of environmental considerations including landscape and the impact on the openness of the Green Belt and AONB.

8. What happens after this meeting?

• If the meeting supports MCLT’s preferred site the next step will be to explore whether the site is feasible in terms of issues such as access, financial viability and the nature of the design. Our request for planning approval will be pushing at the limits of planning policy so we know there are significant challenges to overcome.
• There is no legally binding agreement between the MCLT and the landowner until these issues have been determined and it is clear that it is a suitable site and that affordable housing can be delivered on that site. The MCLT and the site owners accept that the feasibility study could find that the project is not viable.
• To undertake a feasibility study MCLT will select an architect and a partner housing association who will work with us throughout the project.
• The housing association and the architect will provide professional support. Further support will be available from the Wessex Community Land Trust Project who have already worked with a considerable number of CLT’s to deliver affordable housing across the south-west. Their experience has been and will continue to be extremely valuable in supporting MCLT.
• If the meeting does not support our preferred site the MCLT Board will reflect on what it does next and whether there are concerns it can address or it needs to move on to find another site.

9. Which site are you proposing to the village?

• Full information about the site and the proposed way forward will be provided at the public meeting on July 21^st. We hope to see you there.

Download as pdf

VILLAGE CONSULTATION

AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT

SATURDAY JULY 21^st

12.00 NOON

COMMUNITY CENTRE

SMALL HALL

Important update on Marshfield CLT affordable homes site search

Posters will be appearing in the next few days inviting you to an open village meeting on the Marshfield CLT proposed site for developing a small number of affordable houses. As a reminder, these would be up to 18 houses with a mix of rental and shared ownership, to be allocated to people with a local connection to the village. The site will include a small number of market homes to help fund the project. All developed and controlled by Marshfield CLT.

We’re still at an early stage in this project, but are excited to be able to share where we’ve got to in our thinking. Please come along to hear more and share your views.

Newsletter June 2018

 FAQ Consultation on Site

Feedback comments

Download as PDF

MCLT news        18^th June 2018

Affordable Housing Project

We want to give you details of how our search for a site is progressing and how it has changed as we have tried to overcome various hurdles.

The sort of housing we hope to build

The 2013 Marshfield housing needs survey and the considerable national evidence shows that many people have great difficulty in finding a secure home. We are working to address this problem with a particular focus on people with local connections to help maintain the vitality, economic and social strength of our community. So we have been searching for a site on which we can build a mixture of homes for rent and shared ownership which will be held for the community in perpetuity.

This reflects the evidence from the last housing need survey, although we recognise that the new survey recently commissioned by the Parish Council may change the balance of tenures required. The 2013 Survey report argued:

“Based on the income data provided and information from shared ownership valuations in the area, there is a realistic demand for shared ownership in the parish but affordable rented homes are the tenure most likely to meet long term, local need in the village.”

This conclusion was based on the information given about the type and size of housing needed and the mortgage capacity of respondents rather than their wants and aspirations.

How rural exception sites not normally available for housing can support affordable homes

The need for rural affordable housing is recognised to be a nationwide problem. This has led to both national and local planning policies that support the provision of  affordable housing for people with local connections by granting planning approval on what are called rural exception sites outside the village boundary.

These sites would not normally be used for housing and in Marshfield will be in the green belt, or designated  Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and/or be in a conservation area where planning permission would not normally be given for commercial market housing. This recognises that the price of land within settlement boundaries is prohibitive for affordable housing.

Rural exception sites address the needs of the local community by accommodating households who are either current residents or have an existing family or employment connection. Small numbers of market homes may be allowed at the local authority’s discretion.

MCLT’s search for an affordable site

Phase 1- initial search

The MCLT have looked carefully at a range of sites that adjoin the Marshfield settlement boundary using South Glos. Council criteria and our own local knowledge to see if it is possible to obtain a site which could be put forward as a rural exception site and could be purchased at a price appropriate for affordable housing.

One of the difficulties we have encountered is that the position of Marshfield and its attractiveness along with the national shortage of homes raises expectation that South Gloucestershire Council may change the settlement boundary and land that one day has value as agricultural land could the next day have a greatly increased value if identified as available for market housing. The new draft Local Plan has added to this uncertainty. Equally land owners may have other reasons, but the effect has been that MCLT is finding it difficult to secure an available rural exception site.

We reported this to the AGM so this part of our search will be familiar to you all. Since then we have responded to these difficulties in two ways which we hope will be more productive. Neither of these were how we initially saw the MCLT securing a site but we have had to think of new approaches to overcome the difficulties we have encountered.

Phase 2 – Extending the search

We have now extended our search to sites which are close to the settlement boundary but not adjacent. Planning regulations now include the phrase ‘related to’ and sites that fit that description are now being explored by MCLT.

Planning policies have also recently been changed to allow a small number of market houses to be built on rural exception sites along with the affordable homes. We are thus able to offer landowners with a suitable site, a small number of plots (with planning permission) in exchange for the land being made available for affordable homes. This gives landowners an incentive to agree to transfer land to the CLT.

We expect that no more than a 1/3 of the houses would be market housing. On a site suitable for 18 houses, 3 would be market plots for the owner, 3 will be market plots which will cross subsidise the affordable houses and 12 will be affordable housing to include some for rent and some for shared ownership.  Such a development will be subject to South Gloucestershire Council policies that take account of environmental considerations including landscape and the impact on the openness of the Green Belt and AONB.

So to summarise MCLT‘s current position on affordable housing:

We are looking to provide a mix of rented and shared ownership affordable housing, reflecting the housing needs identified in the 2013 survey.

By introducing the possibility of a small element of market housing on suitable sites we have:

• attracted more interest from landowners
• established the principle of a cross subsidy so we may actually be able to deliver genuinely affordable housing
• allowed an affordable housing development to reflect the mixed tenure pattern that is typical of much of the housing in Marshfield.

Our recent approach has led to negotiations with some land owners and if these are successful we will bring a recommended site to a village meeting.

Housing Need Survey

South Gloucestershire Council and the Parish Council are shortly to carry out a new Housing Needs Survey. The 2013 survey is considered out of date and MCLT will be very pleased to have the new information as this is required for a planning application on a rural exception sites.

For such an application, SGC require that a housing survey shows “a genuine local need for affordable housing within the rural settlement /parish from people who are or have been closely connected with the rural settlement /parish”. The MCLT need the new survey to provide evidence that this is the case if we are to make a convincing case to SGC planners for new affordable housing.

A Housing Need Survey includes questions on general issues of housing as well as a section for those who consider they have a housing need. This means it is relevant to all Marshfield residents not just those who have a housing need.

The survey will also want to make contact with people who have left the village, unable to afford to live here, and those who have worked in the village for some time. This ‘hard to reach’ group are important in identifying the full picture of local housing need.

The surveys will come through the letter boxes of Marshfield residents and will give an opportunity for people to identify anyone they know who belongs to that ‘hard to reach’ group so they too can access the survey. There will be information on the form about how to do this.

To encourage you to fill in the SGC/Parish Council survey I hope the following ‘rhyme’ will make you smile and prompt you to give a little time to answer the survey questions when it comes through your door.

 

Housing Need Survey

Please don’t throw this in the bin

Just sit down and fill it in

You can’t in the future moan

If your views were never known

 

If you feel you need a home

Take this chance to make it known

Let the Council hear your voice

So all can have a housing choice

 

Old and young, rich and poor

We all would like our own front door.

As always, if you have questions, suggestions or comments please get in touch with me or any of the Board directors.

Christine Eden

Chair MCLT (c.eden@live.co.uk) 01225 891525

Board of Directors: Oliver Shirley, David Dodd, Simon Turner, Jim Brookes, Ian Dawes, Ian Jones, Jenny Gibbons

 

Dear MCLT Member                                                                                    9^th May 2018

It’s about time we let you know what we’ve been doing since our Annual Report so here’s an update on our latest activities.

Site Search
Our top priority is to develop affordable homes and we are still heavily involved in finding a site. As anyone who has bought or sold a house will know, this can be a tortuous and time consuming process. When it comes to acquiring land for development the issues to be resolved can be even more complicated – not just business and family considerations but planning constraints, neighbour issues and the likely response of the village. But we think that because MCLT is a not-for-profit organisation and embedded in the local community it stands the best chance of finding solutions which are acceptable to all parties.

Energy Group
The CLT aims to develop a range of community assets not just affordable homes. Elsewhere CLTs are running shops, pubs, community gardens and other projects. Here in Marshfield an opportunity has arisen to build on the important pioneer work around local energy use and storage which has been carried out over the past few years. We’re pleased to announce that a newly formed Marshfield Energy Working Group is now operating as part of the MCLT.

Facebook and Website
We’d like to extend a warm welcome to Jenny Gibbons, who has recently joined the MCLT board. Jenny’s first task has been, in collaboration with board member Ian Dawes, to create the new MCLT Facebook page. Go and have a look if you haven’t already visited it. Also don’t forget to keep up with the MCLT website (www.marshfieldclt.org) originally created by Mike Krohn and much admired by our sister CLTs in the region. Mike has now left the board and we are most grateful for the wonderful start he gave us.

Wanted! A Director and Secretary to Follow David Dodd 
David has worked tirelessly as our secretary since MCLT was formed, but intends to retire soon so we are looking for someone to replace him as a director and take on the role of secretary. If you would like to think about this or know of anyone who might be interested please get in touch with David or any other board member (contact details below).

Housing Needs Survey
The CLT has been keeping up to date with housing needs by conducting informal interviews with local people. Now Marshfield Parish Council has commissioned a full housing needs survey to replace the one carried out in 2013. It will be undertaken by South Glos Council. Both the Parish Council and SGC are keen to ensure that people not currently living in the village, but who have strong links with Marshfield through family or employment, do not get overlooked by the survey. If you know of anyone with a local connection who is in housing need please forward their name to Marshfield Parish Council or MCLT (contact details below) and they will receive a form.

South Glos Local Plan Consultation
In our response to the recent consultation, we have argued that Marshfield’s contribution to SGC’s housing targets should come solely from MCLT, building affordable homes for local people via a ‘rural  exception site’, and not from an allocation of land outside the village boundary for a market-led housing development.

And Finally
What keeps us going through all the ups and downs of working with the CLT is our belief that, particularly when it comes to housing and other community assets, local people should have a bigger say in deciding the long-term future of the village. If you have comments or questions please get in touch through our web site or via email to Christine Eden or David Dodd (contact details below). Alternatively you can approach any of our directors face-to face. As always, thank you for your support.

Christine Eden (Chair)                            Jim Brookes
OliverShirley (Vice Chair)                      Ian Dawes
David Dodd (Secretary)                           Jenny Gibbons
Simon Turner (Treasurer)                     Ian Jones

Contact details
Christine Eden                          c.eden@live.co.uk                        01225 891525
David Dodd                                 davidjoyedodd@freeuk.com      01225 891507
Marshfield Parish Council   marshfieldpc@btconnect.com     01225 892102