Blog

Drop-in Session

Drop-in session at The Centre, Halton on Sunday 9th June 2019

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We organised this event to inform, engage in conversations with, and gain views from local people about the provisional Mill Lane scheme for 20 affordable homes; and to help publicise the Household Housing Survey, which had just been issued to all households in Halton and some surrounding areas.

As well as the displays, we had nine people available for conversations, from the Lune Valley CLT, our proposed partners South Lakes Housing (SLH), and Keswick CLT (an example of CLT homes in action).

Over the 3 hour session, about 50 visitors dropped in. People had a wide range of conversations with us. We heard views ranging from concerns and objections on the specific proposed Mill Lane site, from people living near to it, to strong support for the plans. Some signed up for our mailing list, some to be members, and some for housing.

We asked everyone to contribute and ‘Have your say’ – through post-it responses spaces on the displays. This is what you said:

On the Mill Lane scheme:

  • Extra criteria for eligibility should be: must be able to afford what is on offer; and to favour critical public service workers
  • What happens to LV CLT continuing ‘influence’ on the plans/management, if SLH gets taken over by another HA? – need break clauses in the LV CLT-SLH partnership lease, to give options
  • Need adoption of Mill Lane as well as Forge Lane – and green spaces
  • Don’t make road access to new site through Town End Way cul-de-sac [pedestrian access is OK]
  • Don’t make any access from Town End Way
  • Don’t make any access from Town End Way – keep the fence!
  • Don’t make any access from Town End Way – we want fence to remain!
  • Safety on Forge Lane – add speed bumps, and railings at Forge Lane end of alleyways through all terraces
  • Speed restrictions ie. put bumps on roads
  • Why compare with Keswick, when it’s not achievable?
  • The Priority Criteria: does not mention anything about ‘low income’. Is low income a necessary criteria? Please clarify. Do they need to be on a council housing list? Some here today have said they need to be working (eg. like the Keswick scheme which houses teachers), whereas others have said they need to be on a council housing list. Who has priority?
  • Characterise/humanise the priority criteria list, with examples – who exactly will come?
  • On site layout: the terrace along Mill Lane will have the sun coming into their front doors and kitchens, not their sitting areas? Could they be turned round 180 degrees? Or, could you move this terrace to run along the W or E side[s] of the site [making a L], or both [making a C] – so on the W, gardens provide the separation from the existing houses; and on the E, use up the ‘tree protection’ zone? Car parking for them could still be along Mill Lane?

On the Neighbourhood Plan information:

  • When will public transport to the [Halton] housing sites be improved?
  • With all the Low Road developments, people and children crossing the Low Road is dangerous. What [crossing] is being put in place for the Low Road?

Thanks to all those who came and took part; it was very useful to get people talking to each other, to improve our exchange of information, and to gain and better understand everyone’s views.

We repeated the exercise, on smaller scale, with stalls at Millfest at Halton Mill on 15th June, and at the ‘Halton Hub’, at The Centre, on 20th June.

Halton Housing Need Survey

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Residents of Halton-with-Aughton parish, and some surrounding areas, have recently received by post a ‘Halton Housing Need Survey’ Questionnaire, with a request to return it by July 1st.

This has been organised and commissioned by Lancaster City Council Housing Department, to help provide good information about the overall need for homes in the area, but also on our behalf – to help Lune Valley CLT work out what the affordable housing priorities should be, for our planned site at Mill Lane, Halton.

If you have any queries about the survey, please look at the Housing Needs Survey FAQs.

If you are happy to help us by completing and returning it, but have not yet done so, please do it before the deadline, which is 1st July. Your responses will help us to ensure that Halton gets the number and kind of affordable homes that we actually need.

Many thanks for your help.

Recent Prattle Article

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We set up the Lune Valley Community Land Trust a year ago, to contribute to affordable housing and public access land for the village. It is a not-for-profit, co-operative, which is run by the community for the community, akin to the Hydro.
In the area south of Low Road, about 120 homes have now been built in the original ‘Time & Tide’ development area; only 3 of them are ‘affordable’.

Site Location

To address this imbalance, and more importantly to prioritise housing for locals on low incomes, we have developed plans to build 20 truly affordable homes on one of the two uncompleted, semi-derelict sites between Mill Lane and Forge Lane. Note: The second of the two remaining uncompleted sites is intended to be developed by Halton Senior Cohousing.

The houses will be built to high standards, exceeding national standards on living space and be very affordable to heat. As can be seen from the outline site layout plan, it provides some shared communal space and encourages community-building.

We have just decided to develop and manage the site in partnership with a local Housing Association, whose leadership and strategy fits well with ours, and whose financial strength will reduce the grant funding we need.

We want to provide homes for those who either wish to remain in Halton or have been forced out due to the high prices. We will be able to decide on who gets the affordable homes, and also prevent the ‘right to buy’, which would over time remove affordable homes from the village. First preference will go to those with strong village connections; this includes young people, those in essential jobs, and the more elderly too.

Proposed Site Layout

In order to ensure that we provide the types of homes that are needed, we will shortly undertake a housing need survey for Halton and the surrounding area. We will publicise this to each household; it will allow you to tell us what you think, but also to actually register your own interest in a new affordable home. Please take the time to help us with this.

At the same time, we will consult with the village as we prepare a Planning Permission application. Look out for information on the usual village publicity sites, including for a public meeting.

photo of the Lune valley

Annual General Meeting

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Sunday 17th March 2-4pm @ Halton Mill, Mill Lane, Halton, LA2 6ND

We will be holding our first AGM on Sunday 17th March 2-4pm at Halton Mill.

All members and non-members are very welcome at the AGM, though only members can vote. Non-members can join on the day, but if you wish to vote, then you will need to join prior to the meeting.

If you cannot attend, if you are a member you can appoint a Voting Representative; but please inform the Company Secretary at least 2 days before the AGM, i.e. by 15th March 2019. 

AGENDA

1.     Highlights from the last year

2.     Finance report

·        Vote on Resolution from Directors: “That an appointment of an auditor for the first set of accounts, to December 2020, is not required”

3.     Affordable Housing

·        Progress to date

·        Voting on Resolution from Directors: “That the Housing Association nominated by Directors is chosen as our preferred partner for developing 20 affordable homes on Mill Lane”

4.     Public Spaces

·        Progress to date

·        Future Plans and Ideas

5.     Election of Directors

·        All current Directors are standing down at the AGM. 

·        These are then standing for re-election: Ann Lanes, Steve Wrigley, Luke Mills, Chris Coates, Charles Ainger. 

·        Other members are encouraged to stand for election as Directors too. If anyone wishes to stand, please inform the Company Secretary