MARK COMMUNITY LAND TRUST

Newsletter No. 4 - December 2015

Affordable Housing Project

We are pleased to announce that we have secured a community buildings pre-feasibility grant of £9,270.00 from Community Rights Programme funded by the Department for Communities & Local Government.  This means that on receipt of this money we can engage the services of surveyors/engineers/architects to carry out the investigative work on the Northwick site.  However, this money must be spent by 31.03.16, and any sum not spent by this date must be returned.

We are currently in discussion with a third Housing Association after which we will select one to be our partner for this project.  We must aim to have the homes built by the end of 2017 in order for the Housing Association to qualify for government grants, which are due to cease in March 2018, as things stand at the time of writing.

All our legal work is being carried out by a dedicated Solicitor at Sedgemoor District Council in lieu of a grant of £5,000.00.  Although a few members have expressed their concern that there was a conflict of interest, MCLT Steering Group has been reassured that this would not arise.

As members will know we held our first General Meeting on 18^th November and the existing Directors were required to stand down and seek re election; if they so wished.  At the same time the opportunity was given to any of its members to stand as Director, for which one nomination was received.  A vote then was taken by all those members present to which were added those that had completed a proxy form.  The outcome of which was the following members were duly elected to form the new Board for Mark CLT Ltd:-

Simon Emary, Sally Flack, Geoff Francis, Jan Horn John Spencer, Hattie Stevens and Gareth Woodcock.

A further meeting of all members will be arranged once we have the results of the surveys etc and know if and where we can build the homes and what if any constraints there may be. After which, we with the Housing Association can then look at proposed designs, layout, construction of the homes and highways access.  All of which will be subject to public consultation and Planning Application approval.

Our membership now stands at 94 and it would be good to reach the magic figure of 100, so for those who have not made up their minds yet, please join us and lend your support to your local community.  Application forms can be obtained from Mike Schollar (Tel: 641603).