Herstmonceux Parish Council and Herstmonceux Community Land Trust are two separate entities who both recognise the need for diversity of housing opportunity for local families. Action in Rural Sussex (AiRS) provide guidance and support to towns and parishes to help start up and develop Community Land Trusts.

A Community Land Trust is a non-profit corporation that develops and stewards affordable housing, community gardens, civic buildings, commercial space and other community assets on behalf of a community. CLT's balance the need of individuals to access land and maintain security of tenure with a community need to maintain affordability, economic diversity and local access to essential services.

The Herstmonceux Neighbourhood Plan Policies set out the wider aims for the Parish, including that of the provision of diverse housing choice and to support the development of a local CLT. The Plan covers a period of 10 years. The visions and objectives within the Neighbourhood Plan will manage change and growth in a positive way, so that the character and quality of life of the Parish is able to be retained, yet grow with our ever changing world and it's demands.

Herstmonceux Parish Council hold no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the information within the documents attached below - 'Community Land Trusts' or the 'Herstmonceux CLT Register of Interest Form'.

Any reliance you place on the accuracy of this information is strictly at your own risk.

Herstmonceux Parish Council are not party to, or responsible for, any personal details or other information that may be forwarded to Action in Rural Sussex, or Herstmonceux CLT, by an individual or business, as a result of accessing this material on the Parish Council website.

Please note that although the Parish Council support the work of the CLT in principle, the Parish Council are not members of the Trustee Board of the CLT and so have no responsibility or say in the use or storing of data or the management or allocation of the houses once they become available.

Update January 2023

Members of the Public will be more than aware that the financial and political volitivity of the past 12 months following Covid led to delay and review of many public and private sector projects. Herstmonceux CLT and its project for homes at Strawberry Field, Windmill Hill has been no exception but I am pleased to report that we are still progressing.

The volatility of building material costs and lending rates required our Project Team to undertake several financial reviews to satisfy our lenders and, whilst no agency has the gift of foretelling the future, our lenders are satisfied that we are able to finance the construction and the future loans for the rented and shared equity homes retained by Herstmonceux CLT.

Our Project Team remained engaged and able to respond to situations. We are now able to progress the final pre-build elements before a proposed start on site in May / June this year.

A significant element has been our decision, following advice from legal specialists and the FCA, to establish a Charitable Benefit Society (CBS) under the title Herstmonceux Community Homes Trust Limited. Herstmonceux CLT will now transition to a Community Interest Company (CIC), Strawberry Field Homes CIC of which Herstmonceux Community Homes Trust Limited will be the sole shareholder. All existing HCLT shareholders will be transferred to membership of the CBS with the same voting rights. Both new organisations have objectives in line with the current CLT and the CBS will be the owner of the completed community homes for rent and the retained part of the shared ownership homes. The main outcome is a significant tax benefit for the whole project thus supporting our viability.

Our contact details remain the same and formal rebranding information available soon.

Alan McInnes

Chairman Herstmonceux CLT

All latest updates, information and documents for the Herstmonceux Community Land Trusts can be found by clicking on this link for the Community 21 website

Herstmonceux CLT -Update December 2021

Whilst it has been some time since a formal update has been issued, the project to build CLT homes at Strawberry Field Windmill Hill is progressing. However, events have conspired to significantly slow the project.

We have agreement for a construction loan from Triodos Bank and promise of a further grant. These are linked to start-on-site for construction and stages up to completion. The knock-on effects of covid and national economy factors led to shortage of materials and increased costs in the construction sector, such that we were likely to start to start groundwork in winter with potential on-site delays which could impact our critical finance dates.

Our Project Team have been working to resolve and align these issues and therefore our anticipated start-on-site for building is now March 2022, with completion in March 2023.

Our technical and finance teams have worked with us over the past difficult 12 months and remain committed to enable the CLT to complete the 17 homes for sale, shared ownership and rent.

For information about CLT activity across the county, go to the Sussex Community Housing Hub Facebook page