Wetheral Councillor reports on Glendale Gateway visit
By Nigel Holmes
VISIT TO GLENDALE GATEWAY TRUST, WOOLER, NORTHUMBERLAND 25 FEBRUARY 2009 What has been achieved in Wooler and on Holy Island is very much the result of the Glendale Gateway Trust (GGT) timing its application to One North East, their RDA, at just the right time. As they pointed out, applications submitted early in the financial year have been rejected but those same submissions have succeeded subsequently as in the last months of the financial year the RDA was desperate to find a use for the funds. GGT is a great example of a community organisation taking a central role in local regeneration. Set up in 1996 for the benefit of the inhabitants of Glendale, the trust is managed by local people with support from the Development Trust Association and has been successful in revitalising the high street in Wooler. By renovating empty properties and derelict land owned by an absentee landlord it now owns a mix of complementary assets that includes the Cheviot Centre community hub and managed workspace, 4 affordable rented homes, three retail units, and a youth hostel catering for 5,500 visitors a year. The Trust also facilitated a significant affordable housing development in the centre of the town through the acquisition and sale of land to a housing association. What I found surprising is that Wooler has a population of a mere 1,900 and that the whole Glendale area, defined by the boundaries of the pre-1974 Glendale Rural District Council which covers 250 sq. miles has only 6,067 people, fewer than in Wetheral Parish, yet in that area they have 22 parish councils. The smallest Chillingham has only 71 inhabitants yet quite a few of the distinctive ancient breed of wild white cattle. Wooler had benefitted from the Market Town Initiative. The impact of their holistic and locally-driven approach to regeneration is that the Youth Hostel, sold off by the YHA, has been renovated by the GGT and is still marketed by under the YHA banner. The number of overnight stays has grown from 5,500 to more than 6,000. The Northern Rock Foundation had helped with the purchase. In the Cheviot Centre, the town has a focal point for community activities, employment and social advice, in what had been a Victorian workhouse. A separate youth drop-in is housed in a refurbished 130 year old former Mechanics’ Institute building in the main street. The GGT bought from an absentee Irish landlord vacant property in the main street which now houses some impressive retailers for so small a place. Indeed two days after our visit BBC Look North featured the adventurous range of shops for such a small place. By common consent the effect of the GGT had been to lift a place which had previously suffered from low aspirations. The one key achievement had been to secure for families and young people long-term tenancies in a tourist town of escalating prices fuelled by the second home market. For financial reasons there had initially been a link with a County Durham Housing Association but more recent work was being undertaken independently. Indeed the housing developments on Holy Island were driven directly by the fact that virtually every house which came onto the market was bought as a second home. The result has been the saving of the first school on the island as young people have been able to stay and boost the population to more than 150. Our host, Tom Johnston, said that they had initially faced opposition over some of their proposals from the parish council in Wooler, even though they had conducted a village appraisal. However their achievements had won the council over and the financial benefits are now there for all to see. He explained that when applying the M3 local economic multiplier, use of local suppliers and builders means that the housing budget of £280,000 produced a value to the local economy of over £800,000. In addition the District Council who provided a grant of some £40,000 towards housing renovation now receives over £20,000pa in new council tax receipts from the scheme. He had begun as a founder volunteer trustee but was now employed full-time by the GGT. GGT demonstrates how community organisations can enable the design and provision of housing and largely local control of its subsequent allocation, and has stirred the GGT to take a greater role in housing in the future. Essential subsidy for the affordable housing was not available from the Housing Corporation at the time - a situation which GGT would like to see change through the current Community Land Trust (CLT) consultation process. Terms for grant to CLTs are currently under negotiation with the Homes & Communities Agency. The GGT is now in a strong position as it has a strong revenue from the rent on the many properties it owns. Tom Johnston pointed out that they had had to take risks in the early days when they had few assets. I met Cllr. Olwyn Luckley, Carlisle City Council Housing Portfolio Holder, and her manager. She explained that the City had significant land holdings and had conducted surveys into housing need which had identified the problems existing both in the urban and rural areas. I suggest that we ask the City Council if they will share their findings with us and suggest that we look at areas of need together. Given that virtually all the former council housing stock has been sold, one would assume that need exists in the rural areas and is likely to be exacerbated by the recession. The GGT’s experience is that the local authority can underestimate need as young people seeking social housing might well be advised by the authority’s staff, in the absence of affordable housing, not to bother putting their names on the waiting list. Tom Johnston listed the Key Drivers as dereliction, income generation, better service delivery, local control (empowerment), providing for young people and improving sustainability. The Key Issues were community support, risk taking by the trustees, funding support (particularly a £250,000 interest-free one year loan from a local landowner to get them underway), vision, commitment, a limited private sector, and the uncertainty of funding programmes. The Key Achievements area a revitalized High Street, more business, 22 affordable houses, sustainability, an asset base of £1.5 million, 75% of core costs met by self-generated income, an entrepreneurial spirit and confidence in the community. There are 18 trustees, 10 representing membership organisations, with 5 elected and 3 co-opted. The membership organisations include the Parish Council, National Farmers’ Union, the tourist association and the Country Landowners’ Association. The visit was arranged by Andy Lloyd,Community Land Trust Project Officer,Cumbria Rural Housing TrustTelephone : 01768 210265
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it www.crht.org.uk The Cheviot Centre, 12 Padgepool Place, Wooler, Northumberland, NE71 6BL Telephone : 01668 282406 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it www.wooler.org.uk Nigel Holmes 27 February 2009
