Christow Community Land Trust Press Release

Layne Fields Housing Development – Christow – Public Meeting

• A public consultation meeting was held at the Teign Valley Community Hall on Wednesday 19 September 2012 to ask local residents to comment on the draft design and layout of the Layne Fields housing development, which will provide affordable homes for families and elderly and disabled people in Christow. There was also a presentation on Christow Community Land Trust (CCLT) explaining its role as a not-for-profit society with the power to hold land and property for the long-term benefit of the community. Those attending were invited to become members, thereby encouraging wider public involvement in CCLT and its current and any future projects.
• There were 29 local people at the meeting plus 8 members of the CCLT Steering Group. The latter are all Christow residents, representing a range of skills and experience; some are Parish Councillors, providing a link with the wider village community, although they act as independent persons on the CLT. They were joined by the Steering Group’s professional advisers and project partners from Somerset, Devon and Dorset Community Land Trust Project, Teign Housing, the Regeneration Partnership, Mitchell’s Architects and the Gates Partnership. Philip Vogel, a Teignbridge District Councillor and a member of Dartmoor National Park Authority was also present.
• Before the meeting began, there was an opportunity to see representations of the scheme on displays in the Hall lobby, enabling people to see what the scheme will look like through the use of plans and very realistic images.
• Recent surveys have highlighted a need for affordable, rented housing in the village. It was confirmed that, in accordance with legally binding planning conditions, all the homes would firstly be offered to people with a Christow connection and, if not taken up, to those from local villages before being offered further afield.
• There was a great deal of interest in and discussion about the project and, on a show of hands, those attending the meeting unanimously supported the proposals. Similarly there was unanimous support for the application of Passivhaus principles in the development i.e. extra low energy cost, taking very little power to heat the houses and making them efficient to live in. 
• In terms of the layout and design, there was overwhelming support for the planned terraces as they are essential for energy saving at the highest level. There were discussions on the treatment of elevations with a consensus that people liked the render, slate roofs and stone work to the porches.  
• The meeting therefore endorsed the development and the site’s draft layout and design and this will provide the basis for discussions between Teign Housing, Christow CLT and Dartmoor National Park Authority prior to a formal planning application.
• There was also some interest in applying to join CCLT and membership forms were given out at the close of the meeting. CCLT will hold a Special General Meeting later in the year, when more information will be available and members will be invited to elect a Board of Directors, ensuring public accountability. 

If you are interested in applying for membership

 please contact Simon Lee on 01647 252116

 don’t hesitate – we want to hear from you!

Christow Community Land Trust Steering Group: Tom Archer; Sarah Cann; Tony Cook; Briony Falch; Simon Lee; Mike Rosenbloom; Adrian Sargood; Pamela Woods