TCLT Forum
Welcome to the Forum
We welcome comments and questions to the CLT Board via this Forum.
There are a few ground rules please – no personal comments, keep it clean, and be as concise as possible.
Note that all comments will be moderated.
Your comments will be posted with your name as well – if you aren't prepared to put your name to a comment then we cannot publish it!
We have begun the Forum by posting a selection of questions that were sent to us following the Open Meeting in February 2025. Feel free to comment on any of these, or scroll to the bottom of the page to send a new question.
1. Is HNS the only input data?
TCLT RESPONSE
The Housing Needs Survey was conducted by Devon Communities Together and is recognised as a reliable method of calculating local demand. The return from Thorverton was noted by DCT as being higher than usual.
Comment on this post #1
2. What messaging are you doing to ensure all can be informed and participate?
TCLT RESPONSE
The CLT website is the best place to look at information on the project. Regular updates are posted in each month’s Focus magazine. This Forum was introduced so that questions could be raised and informed responses given by the CLT. At an early stage the CLT Board decided not to engage in discussions on Facebook, especially when questions come from ‘Anonymous Members’.
Comment on this post #2
3. Will there be any single bed room flats?
TCLT RESPONSE
We’ll endeavour to include consideration of these into any design
Comment on this post #3
4. What happens when houses are built and there are not enough locals there and then to move in?
TCLT RESPONSE
This, including definition of ‘local’ and how long a house can sit empty awaiting a local resident is the vital detail to be agreed within a S106 between MDDC and whoever has most control be that TCLT, a developer or a HA. This is why we think it is important for TCLT to have as much control as possible. We also need to understand more about how Devon Home Choice works in practice. There is much more work to do here.
Comment on this post #4
5. Will final decisions prior to planning be approved by members?
TCLT RESPONSE
Yes.
Comment on this post #5
6. Can we buy South side but only develop the North for now?
TCLT RESPONSE
We have yet to confirm this with the Church Commissioners.
Comment on this post #6
7. What are the pros and cons of DMS v SO?
TCLT RESPONSE
Discounted Market Sale (DMS) ensures the homes will remain available in perpetuity to local people at a discount on open market values. The occupier pays a mortgage on a proportion of the value of the house, with no rent charged on the remainder. DMS may be cheaper to the occupant than Shared Ownership, where a rent is charged in addition to the mortgage payments.
However the downside of DMS is that it does not currently attract standard public subsidy. It therefore needs to be subsidised in another way – typically by the profits from some full open-market properties on the site.
With Shared Ownership the buyer similarly buys a % share (from 10% upwards) of their home, but they pay rent (to a Housing Association) on the rest of the equity.
Comment on this post #7
8. Are any directors potential investors in or funders of the scheme?
TCLT RESPONSE
No, not other than investing their own voluntary time in the scheme.
Comment on this post #8
9. Can directors of the CLT acquire any of the homes?
TCLT RESPONSE
There are examples of this happening at other CLTs. They would also need to fulfil the same criteria as anyone else applying for a home.
Comment on this post #9
10. Where is the accountability for the responses to the concerns that will be raised? Are any of the concerns that people email shared with the whole committee and the community, or just the person who reads them and replies? Can we not have email contact details for the whole committee for transparency?
TCLT RESPONSE
The whole Board is accountable for the responses. The full concerns and emails are shared with the whole Board and in summary form with the whole community on the website. The website has a list of all Board members’ names for transparency, but not their private email addresses.
Comment on this post #10
11. How do people know when their application for membership is approved?
TCLT RESPONSE
An email is sent to that person.
Comment on this post #11
12. How do I access the constitution or memorandum and articles of TCLT, why are they not on the website?
TCLT RESPONSE
The rules have been placed on the website in the documents section; they were, and still are, available as part of the membership application process.
Comment on this post #12
13. The challenges of the school were not adequately addressed by the response to the question from the floor at the meeting. Development funded by the probably already financially challenged CLT, (as presented with apparent authority and as a done deal at the meeting) would inevitably have considerable time lag by which time all the children would have had to be placed in other schools.
TCLT RESPONSE
There are indeed significant challenges to resolve. The provision of adequate places at the village school is a key factor to be taken into account in the planning process.
Comment on this post #13
14. Karl Wilson: Since the last public TCLT meeting, can you please report how the project is progressing. It seems to have gone very quiet again. The general concensus was very pro a small to medium sized scheme. Whatbupdates arw there please?
TCLT RESPONSE
The website shows more info on the recent activities of the CLT Board and Reports of the three meetings that have been held so far are shown on the Documents page. A date has been set for the next Open Meeting which will be held on Weds 16 July at 7.00pm in The Memorial Hall.
Comment on this post #14
15. Jonny Ritchie: Could you please elaborate on this comment made on the latest minutes - “The CC, or rather Savills, is asking for road access to the north of the site. We agreed to help with this request, using access to the new SS for this purpose.” Where would this road be located and what is its purpose?
TCLT RESPONSE
The Church Commissioners were concerned that a parcel of their land might become isolated from the road by the CLT development. The CLT will have to move an electricity substation (SS) as part of the development and this will be placed on the northern edge of the plot. There will be an access road to the SS, which could therefore be used to gain entry to the ‘isolated’ land in the future. NB It was pointed out to Savills that this area is steeply sloping and therefore unlikely to be suitable for future development, but the CLT felt it to be in their mutual interest to agree to this request.
Comment on this post #15
16. Karl Wilson: Please could Andrew Wiles comment on the following? Why have the TCLT only chosen to build 15 houses in Silver Street, not 19 to satisfy the 2023 housing needs survey? (TCLT reply: Answer to be provided at 16/4 public meeting) If TCLT were to build 19 houses, this may negate the need for low-cost housing at either Glebe or Lynch Rd development, meeting the needs of the survey and our village. Has this been considered by the TCLT? (TCLT reply: Measures of local housing need are irrelevant to private developers and to their planning prospects) TCLT planning was outside the building line and a special exemption as low cost. Why would this apply to the Glebe Field and Lynch Rd development if we didn't "need" any more low cost houses as per your survey? (TCLT reply: TCLT’s Planning route, known as Rural Exception Site, is not the route that the private developers will use. Instead they will rely on arguing the MDDC is not meeting the housing delivery targets set for it by Government) I know planning appetite has changed by government targets but to build 90 houses at the top end of Thorverton with our road system and pathways is ridiculous. Your help and support to prevent these builds is welcome. (TCLT reply: TCLT is not taking a stance on the principle of these proposed housing developments – our remit from the village is to focus on the building of affordable homes, particularly on Silver St.) Why are the TCLT speaking to the diocese about low-cost housing in the glebe field when they already have a very good scheme in place. Is it so that they can build retail houses on the North Side of Silver Street? (TCLT reply: TCLT is not speaking to the diocese about low-cost housing in the Glebe field.) The problem with TCLT is that they do not engage regularly with the TPC or community (TCLT reply: TCLT communicates regularly with the village, with its Members, and with the PC – our website, our articles in Focus, our regular public meetings and, indeed, the Forum space you are using here.) ……and progress is very slow . (TCLT reply: We accept that affordable housing projects such as ours do not proceed as quickly as those of private developers. One reason is that housing associations are understandably less willing or able than private developers to spend money at risk on such as pre-planning work. Another reason is that TCLT has focussed majorly on public consultation about its proposals, which takes time; we have significantly amended our proposals in the light of villagers’ feedback). You have been speaking secretly to the diocese developers, why? IS it because you may have lost the race to develop low-cost houses and are looking for alternative solutions? Or retail houses in Silver Street? (TCLT reply: No, No and No.) It has pointed out that the TCLT were tasked by the PC to meet the needs of low-cost housing in Thorverton. (TCLT reply: TCLT was not “tasked by TPC”. TCLT “grew out” of the unhappiness reported by some villagers at a TPC meeting at not getting access to the low-cost housing at Leonards Square. The CLT was first outlined to the village at Open Meetings in 2023-24 when broad approval was given to form a CLT. TCLT is independent of TPC.) However, TCLT is now a registered business with HMRC and the PC have no control over TCLT, their proposals or reasoning. In effect, the PC has lost any control and we get little if any feedback. The TCLT can basically do whatever it wants. Please comment. (TCLT reply: See above) Our low cost housing is a huge part of the bigger picture and will have a massive influence on planning, developers, need etc and we cannot progress until we have as many answers from the TCLT as possible. I have emailed Andrew Wiles but not heard back from him yet? (TCLT reply: Andrew Wiles has now met with Karl Wilson. In addition to the responses given above, there will be an opportunity for further questions at the 16th April public meeting.)
TCLT RESPONSE
As there were so many questions raised in one Forum post TCLT decided it would be best to answer each one as they arose. Our responses are therefore shown in brackets above.