Our Trust’s job is to develop and build genuinely affordable housing for local residents and workers, many of them young people, that will always remain in the our village’s ownership. We are the village-owned not-for-profit Pulborough Community Land Trust, so totally different to commercial housing developers or housing associations.

Vital local jobs, in retail, maintenance, transport, offices, health care or social services etc., often do not pay workers enough to live locally. And we all know the rocketing costs of local housing. So our Trust aims to build local homes at lower costs to rent or part purchase, to be affordable to local people on local wages who live or work here.

About Pulborough CLT:

A Community Land Trust (CLT) is like a housing developer but owned by the local community. Owning, building and running property assets in Pulborough for the benefit of all Pulborough residents as well as for their children‘s generation.

CLTs allow communities to design and build local housing for themselves. They are not for personal profit but are community based organisations that develop all types of housing for young and old, together with business space, and other assets that meet the needs of local people. They are owned and controlled by their Members, who must all be local residents, although housing for established local workers will also be considered.

There are now almost 290 CLTs in England and Wales, and they have completed 826 affordable homes. There are an estimated 5800 more homes in the pipeline - proving the success of CLTs - with several excellent local examples that can be visited. This also means that we can learn from the experience of local CLTs who are always prepared to share their experience.

There are also surprisingly generous Government grants to spend on expert help and start up costs, which we have already applied for to help get us going. You can find out a lot more by exploring the website www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk.

To see one view of why we need affordable housing in Pulborough (as presented to our launch meeting) see Why Pulborough needs a CLT.

Action in Rural Sussex Housing Needs Survey Report 2023
Action in Rural Sussex (AiRS) is an independent charity, who have previously produced housing needs surveys in support of the Pulborough village Neighbourhood Plan, and carried out this web based survey during February 2023. In summary the survey shows that 85% of respondents supported the aims of our trust to provide affordable housing on rural exception sites. See the report here: Final report

Social housing vs affordable housing:

There is a difference between social housing, which is aimed at those in need and who are supported by benefits, and affordable housing which is aimed at young people starting out or those not earning enough to pay for rented accommodation or get a mortgage. The wages for care workers, shop assistants, teaching assistants, nursing assistants, many tradesmen and all those other people who support the community and in fact anyone on the median wage for Horsham District – let alone those on less than that – means they cannot afford the cheapest rented property or any mortgage available on any Pulborough property.

The government’s definition of affordable housing is too expensive for such people. That’s why they live on the coast and commute here.The aim of the CLT is to build and own properties in Pulborough that will go to those with a Pulborough connection, either working or living here.Social housing, run by Saxon Weald and others, goes to people from anywhere. The CLT members will decide who gets the houses the CLT builds and owns. The number of over 65s in Pulborough is expected to rise by a third by 2030 and such people need more help than the younger generations so we need to make provision for the people who will provide that help, help in the widest sense.

If you already live or work in the Pulborough Parish, all you have to do to become a Member of the new Pulborough CLT is to buy a share of £1 using this form. Members can join just to find out more, to suggest ideas or, even better, to provide the knowhow and skills required to run the CLT. We will need expert help for surveys, design, construction, fund raising, social media, and project management.

You can also ask to be kept informed if you do now wish to become a member, e-mail pulboroughclt for more information.

Currently we are researching for suitable sites for a small development of between 6 and 20 dwellings, which may include self-build. We have a shortlist of 3 sites but would be glad to hear of any possible sites.

News

We are currently seeking funding to pursue planning permission for a 'rural exception site' in the Pulborough Parish. As an exception site it is not covered by the Neighbourhood Plan.
We are preparing a housing needs survey to go to all residents to be run on our behalf by by Action in Rural Sussex.
If you have not yet become a shareholder, please do consider it. It only costs from £1 and it gives you voting rights, which will be important when we come to consider the type of housing we build.
You can drop your form off, with £1, at the Parish Office in the Village Hall or at Number Three, Rectory Lane.

For more information and answers to questions see our Q&As.

About us

Pulborough Community Land Trust Ltd. was formed in August 2018 and is incorporated as a Community Benefit Society - number 7975 - Registered address Number Three, Rectory Lane, Pulborough, West Sussex, RH20 2AB.

Our Rules

Our policies

Our CLT is supported by Pulborough Parish Council, the Pulborough Community Partnership and is a member of the National CLT Network. It abides by the Code of Good Practice set by the CLT Network.

It has a Board which meets 3 monthly consisting of

Roger Paterson MBE (Chairman). Chair of Rural West Sussex Partnership for economic development. Previously District Councillor, inc Chairman, of Horsham DC.

Business career as Division President of The Stanley Works (Stanley Tools)

Anna McMorran. Formerly Chartered Surveyor with degree in Estate Management and Masters in Land Economy. Currently Ambassador and fundraiser for Sussex based charity Children on the Edge.

Chris Metters. (Treasurer) Global Compliance Manager for Chapman Freeborn (Aircraft Charters), formerly Company Secretary.

Kate Williams (Vice Chair & Legal Secretary). 11 yea

rs law firm experience. 6 yrs as a legal secretary, and 5 yrs paralegal mostly covering dispute resolution and insolvency.

Andy Tilbrook. Formerly chair of the Pulborough Parish Council Planning & Services Committee,

acting chairman of Pulborough neighbourhood plan group. Retired deputy dean of faculty of Engineering, Science and the Built Environment at London South Bank University.

Stephanie Farr. Formerly a qualified PA in London Architectural Practices and and a Sales Executive for a Storrington company dealing with key accounts. Currently runs a local cleaning company with approximately a dozen cleaners.

Assisting the Board as Project Manager for the planning process is

Justin Harper-Ronald (Architect). 7 years in the British army before going back to university to retrain as an Architect. Currently acting Managing Director of a medium size architectural practice working on projects from £100k to £20m.

Currently it has around 40 member/shareholders.

It has a Twitter account @PulboroughCLT and a Facebook page 'Pulborough CLT'.

Updated 15 February 2023