START Community Trust – affordable local housing
. . . the START of truly affordable housing in the heart of the rural South Downs!
START Community Trust is a new (April 2019) community benefit society being established by the three neighbouring parishes of Rogate, Stedham-with-Iping and Trotton. As such, it can build low-cost housing for residents only, but it can also do anything from owning and running a post office, shop or pub, to providing car parks and playgrounds.
Like all community land trusts, in order to access government and other grants, it needs to demonstrate that it has community support, so it has now started signing up voting members (at £1 each) via its own website at: www.start-ct.org.uk
We have submitted a list of 20 or so potential sites to the SDNPA planning team and hope to have a some preliminary feedback this autumn. If any sites look to be worth pursuing further, we will try to talk to the landowners and see if they are prepared to consider working with us. If that results in any reasonable prospects, we will be arranging meetings later this year to get community reactions. To have your say, please sign up as a voting member, as a potential partner or even just to join our mailing list: www.start-ct.org.uk
