About Us
The Hailsham Community Land Trust (HCLT) is dedicated to helping local people in the Hailsham Town Parish area to meet essential local needs. The HCLT is run by a board of management of up to 12 members. All board members are volunteers elected to that board by the trust’s shareholders.
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The HCLT has been set up to empower our local community to create long-lasting social, economic, and environmental improvements.
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The HCLT is a non-political non-profit organisation that works for the benefit of the local community in the provision of sustainable, low carbon housing.
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Objectives
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Hailsham Community Land Trust’s initial ambition is to build or acquire a modest number of homes over the next 3 years compliant with the trust’s stated aims of providing:
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• Locally affordable homes to rent, or sold for shared equity/ownership, self-build or self- finish
• Homes for younger families and single people of working age
• Buildings with a minimal carbon footprint, and incorporating sustainable technologies to reduce cost in use
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Vision
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• To provide low cost affordable housing, built with a minimal carbon footprint
• To be available to and stewarded by the people of Hailsham in perpetuity
• To be built as an example to address the challenges posed by the declared climate emergency
• To encourage innovation for different ways of living, working, and playing together sustainably for the 21st century
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Mission
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Providing innovative, sustainable and affordable low carbon housing to address the challenge of a climate emergency – accountable to local people and the wider community
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Our values
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• Community ownership
• Respecting local needs
• Pride in Hailsham
• Community Participation
• Transparency in all projects
• Encouraging local self-sufficiency
• Respect diversity and disability
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Hailsham Community Land Trust
News
The Hailsham Community Land Trust AGM took place on 26th September 2024 at the White Hart pub, Lower Horsebridge
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All directors have been re-elected
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The accounts for the period, September 2023-September 2024 are available here:​
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Hailsham Community Land Trust Annual Quiz
Our September annual quiz raised the grand total of £328. The directors of HCLT are delighted to have gifted the proceeds of the quiz to Zoe Prior and he volunteers at The Pass It On Community Fridge
Hailsham Community Land Trust
News
Ensuring that every developer and councillor understands our housing needs survey and acts upon
the results in any planning application
Several of our Directors were elected as Independent candidates in 4th May 2023 local elections
Mary Laxton Karen Nicholls Colin Mitchell Anne Marie Ricketts
Hailsham North Hailsham South Hailsham North Hailsham North West
HTC HTC HTC HTC
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Hailsham Community Land Trust
News
Hailsham Community Land Trust reveals the real local housing needs following publication of a major survey which demonstrates the need for truly affordable housing
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Hailsham Community Land Trust, with support from Wealden District Council and Hailsham Town Council, commissioned Action in rural Sussex to assess the scale and nature of the need for affordable housing in Hailsham.
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The study identified households whose housing needs were not being appropriately met and who could not afford to meet them on the open market within the Hailsham Parish. It also identified households whose housing needs may be met locally on the open market.
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With young people from Hailsham being increasingly priced out of the housing market (it has been calculated to take 11 times the average salary to buy a house in Wealden), the survey’s key findings illustrate the need for truly affordable housing for local people in pretty stark terms with 84% of respondents supporting the development of appropriate housing.
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A significant 25% of respondents had experienced a member of their own family being unable to buy or rent an affordable home in the parish in the last few years.
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Of particular interest to HCLT was the overwhelming support for the delivery of housing and other community assets via a Community Land Trust – with 66% of respondents in favour. The survey’s findings will allow us to develop our plans in a manner that addresses the fundamental issues that young people face in finding housing that can genuinely be called affordable within the Hailsham Town Parish boundary.
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At a time when there is a manic rush to build poorly thought out and unsustainable developments in totally inappropriate locations, this study should provide essential and sombre reading for those decision makers who apparently represent the interests of their local community.
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Hailsham Community Land Trust
News
Hailsham Community Land Trust Annual Quiz took place at The White Hart, Horsebridge, on 13th September
The directors have decided that the funds raised
- an amazing £328 will be donated to :
The Pass it on COMMUNITY FRIDGE
