Thame Community Land Trust gets planning application for affordable homes
Thame Community Land Trust (Thame CLT) has now received planning approval for 31 affordable homes on land west of Windmill Road, Thame. The approval is for 9 3-bedroom houses, 18 2-bedroom houses and 4 1-bedroom maisonettes. They have been designed to a high environmental standard.
Thame families are being broken up by the excessive cost of local housing. This project directly addresses this problem by aiming to provide affordable housing, for sale or rent, for residents of Thame and those with a strong local connection. A particular focus is on residents who cannot afford current market prices and are not able to access social housing. It aims at keeping Thame families together and maintaining intergenerational support.
The homes will be provided on the basis of either affordable rent or discounted market sale. They will remain affordable in perpetuity- the discounted properties by means of a resale price covenant.
Achieving approval is a significant stage to have reached but there is much still to be done and obstacles to be overcome. However, Thame CLT has just received the further boost of being awarded a government grant from the Community Housing Fund to take the project forward to the technical design stage.
Thame CLT is a Community Benefit Society and is not-for-profit. It is independent of Thame Town Council but is strongly supported by it. The Trust is profoundly grateful for the moral and physical support provided by the Council since its inception.
The Trust would also like to acknowledge the advice and project management provided by Collaborative Housing. Collaborative Housing is an organisation that provides advice and support to encourage and develop community led housing across the Thames Valley.
Issued by: Thame CLT Steering Group
Date posted: Thursday 2 December 2021