This week the first board meeting was held for the Mashamshire Community Land Trust Ltd, which has been recently formed to create genuinely affordable housing for local residents, or those with local connections, in Masham and surrounding villages. It has been set up as a charity, the principle purpose being to purchase land and build housing that remains in community ownership in perpetuity. Other objectives include the provision of community owned facilities, local energy schemes, and regeneration to alleviate financial hardship.

The Trust has already submitted a bid to purchase a site, the redundant school at Kell Bank between Healey and Fearby. This is owned by the Diocese of Leeds who have not accepted the offer on the basis that they are waiting for their application to convert the building into housing to be approved, when the land value will be higher.

The Trust is actively looking for other sites in Mashamshire that might be suitable for community housing and welcome anyone to come forward with a proposal. Sites that lend themselves well would be brownfield or those just on the outskirts of a settlement. The Trust also wants to encourage anyone who wants to lend support to join as a Member.

“We all know that there is a shortage of genuinely affordable housing in the local area. The younger generation are forced to move away in order to find somewhere they can afford to live, and older residents are not able to downsize and remain within their community. New houses might be built, but there is nothing to prevent them being the next second home. The Mashamshire Community Land Trust will create homes that locals can afford to live in which will also be assets owned and controlled by locals.” commented Cllr Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, the Chair of the Trust. “The parishes surrounding Masham are the most deprived in the whole of North Yorkshire in terms of the financial and physical barriers to accessing housing and local services.”

North Yorkshire Council has provided funding to cover the costs of setting up the Trust, from the Community Led Housing Fund (funded by the second homes council tax premium), which will also support the costs of feasibility and development work of build projects. Further funding will be met from a mix of grants, loans and community share offers.

Link to deprivation data : https://deprivation.communities.gov.uk/about-your-neighbourhood/E01027686?postcode=HG44NF

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