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New affordable housing in Portinscale celebrates official opening

Luke Stamper

Luke Stamper

Posted on 20 September 2022

On 5 September 2022, representatives of several organisations involved in the development of four new affordable homes in Portinscale gathered to celebrate the official opening day of the new properties which provide local families with sustainable, affordable homes.

The Pow Wood development is built on a strip of former woodland, close to the turn-off from the A66, and consists of four, three-bed homes for local people. The development is the first ever project by the Above Derwent Community Land Trust.

A volunteer-based organisation, the Trust was set up in 2016. A Community Land Trust (CLT) is a private, non-profit organisation that owns land on behalf of a community, promoting housing affordability and sustainable development.   The Pow Wood homes are a community response to the increasing lack of affordable housing in areas such as Portinscale, Thornthwaite and Braithwaite.

All four of the houses have now been bought by local people. Applicants for the properties meet specific criteria which include a connection to the local area.

The shared ownership project involves home-owners buying at least a 40% share of the property’s value, the price being under the market rate for local occupancy, either in cash or via a mortgage, then a rental, and an annual service charge.

Deputy Leader of Allerdale Borough Council, Cllr Marion Fitzgerald said: “I’m delighted that Allerdale Borough Council have played a part in bringing this project to life. 

“We have a commitment to help people with their housing needs, so it’s great to see that these fantastic new affordable homes have been completed and have become homes to families who live and work in the Portinscale area. 

“Affordable homes in the Lake District are in extremely high demand, so the work that’s been completed in Pow Wood is a fantastic achievement. I would like to thank the Above Derwent Community Land Trust, the Lake District National Park Authority, Homes England and Allerdale Borough Council’s Housing team for all of their hard work to bring this project to life”. 

Allerdale Borough Council’s Housing Policy Manager, Andrea Smith said: “It’s great to see families from the local area moving into the four fantastic new properties. 

“I’m really proud to have been involved with other Council colleagues in this process, working alongside the many volunteers at Above Derwent Community Land Trust to get the project off the ground and being able to help fund this project from the Community Land Trust fund. To see the families moving into their new homes is exceptionally rewarding. It’s also fantastic to see local families staying in the area and enjoying their new homes”.