Rushy Bank public consultation

Location of Rushy Bank proposed development
 and the other main growth areas of Charlbury

As part of the Rushy Bank Partnership we are holding a public exhibition of the proposals for the Rushy Bank development on Thursday 15 January 2015, 2.30 - 7.30pm in the Charlbury Corner House (Anne Downer Room).

We will be showing people our plans for community self-build homes on the site and inviting local people who express an interest in self-build to sign up.

The Rushy Bank Partnership includes Cornbury Estate as the land owner, Cox Development Partners, a Charlbury-based professional development team, Oxford Design Studio, a Charlbury-based architectural practice, The Beacon Project Charlbury dealing with the community self-build aspect, Young Dementia UK and a local housing association. 

The proposals are for the development of approximately 30 sustainable homes which will include 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 bedroom affordable rent, shared ownership, intermediate and full market sale housing, all designed to meet the needs of our community.

A possible layout for the site, with the
industrial estate and train station to the bottom

The proposals also include land for the Young Dementia UK supported housing scheme which will provide 10 units of accommodation and generate between 10 and 12 full and part-time jobs. The Partnership is committed to use local suppliers, sub-contractors and tradespeople wherever possible on this project. This is a really local partnership right across the board.

The principle is to create a sustainable community that will meet all levels of affordability with preference given to local people to rent or purchase at costs they can afford. The intention is to develop an exemplar for community development and all homes will be built to a high standard with good environmental credentials. There will be approximately equal proportions of each type of housing, subject to the requirements of the local planning authority; coupled with the need to create a viable scheme.

It's time to plan!

Forest Road site in Charlbury (source: Google maps)

After three years of discussion and negotiation about a self-build housing scheme for Charlbury families, it looks as though we have got somewhere at last. With the support of our local landowner Cornbury Park, the Beacon Project is now working as part of a development team for a mixed tenure eco housing development on land at Forest Road, opposite the train station and adjacent to the light industrial area. 

NB This is NOT the field behind the Cricket Club! This development would be on land behind the small industrial estate, which was once earmarked for possible expansion of that industrial estate.

We are currently working with the team on all the elements needed for a planning application later in the year, including the housing needs and specifications of the self-build houses themselves, as well as those of our affordable housing provider, Sovereign Housing. We are also looking at the sustainability and environmental aspects of the site and the common spaces.

If you are a Charlbury household (or have strong links to the town) and would like to express an interest in self-building at Forest Road, do get in touch.

Town Council update

Timber frame design sketch for Beacon Project by Oxford Design Studio, 2014

It has been nearly two years since the Beacon Project last updated Charlbury Town Council about progress, so on Wed 16 April Beacon Secretary Chris Morton addressed councillors ahead of the scheduled council meeting. 

The key points made to councillors were that the last two years have involved a considerable amount of community consultation and profile-raising, including:

• sending a detailed response to the consultations over the draft West Oxfordshire Local Plan in December 2012. The draft Local Plan recognizes self-build and environmental sustainability as key aspects of the UK National Planning Policy Framework and the Localism Act. Our response is detailed here.
• publishing an article on the aims and objectives of the project in the April 2013 edition of the Charlbury Chronicle, and gaining some good feedback and expressions of interest locally.
• having an information stand at the Community Led Plan public meeting in July 2013 in the Memorial Hall
• pursuing options over the Forest Road site with Cornbury Park; contributing towards the Community Led Plan; keeping a conversation going with Sovereign Housing as an affordable housing partner; opened up the core management group to new local families

The councillors were informed that the project has so far undertaken three years’ work towards its aims and objectives, that we are an organised community group with a limited company structure and directors. 

Whilst the project has shifted its emphasis slightly over that period from an interest in co-housing towards self-build, it remains committed to bringing a more cooperative style to any new housing development in which we are involved.

Councillors were also informed that self-build is now a recognised means of solving some sections of the housing requirement, particularly in rural areas. This was recognised in the current West Oxfordshire Local Development Framework.

An example of the project's commitment to environmental issues relating to development can be found in the groups proposals for the Forest Road site in Charlbury, in which we are in negotiation with Cornbury Park regarding feasibility. On this site we are interested in:

• harvesting natural spring water which rises in the copse above the field. It was estimated in the summer of 2012 as providing 40-50 litres/minute or 50-60,000 litres/day.
• Towards the bottom of the site we would like to extend the current pond to offset the increased run-off of water from construction and housing (important following the recent floods) as well as a reed-bed for waste management. Despite being next to the sewage works, we won’t need it!
• We are also discussing with Cornbury the potential of a combined heat and power unit for the whole site using wood by-products from the Estate.

One of the key points made to the councillors was 'who is Beacon Project for?' The points made here were that:

• Currently several Charlbury families make the core, several of who have rented in Charlbury for more than 5 years because they cannot afford appropriate family sized homes. We all have children in the primary and secondary schools and between us make a big contribution to local societies and the community in general. 
• We are a group from the (politician’s phrase) squeezed middle – an intermediate group who cannot afford to buy suitable housing in Charlbury, but who can afford private sector rents. We are a growing group nationally.

Why is the project important?

• If housing development is to take place in Charlbury at all (and it should if we are to remain vibrant), then it is better that we empower people who already contribute to the community to build houses so that they can stay here, rather than being forced to move out. Any other development of family homes in Charlbury will be sold at the rapidly inflating prices that we see today and not contribute to keeping a diverse socio-economic mix in the town.
• New housing here should reflect the special interest in environmental sustainability that Charlbury is known for, rather than being imposed on the town by developers who have no interest in the character of the town, beyond a superficial stereotype of what colour stone to use.
• We feel that a creative and environmental approach to local housing like the scheme we have developed will enable us to develop a Neighbourhood Plan that doesn’t just say where new housing might go, but also says what it should feel like as an extension of our current community, and how it will affect our local environment.

Self-build mortgages

Photo: Roger Bamber/Alamy published in The Guardian

There are a number of lenders still in the marker for self-build mortgages, according to an article in This is Money from July 2013. Lenders include Norwich & Peterborough, Saffron Building Society, BM Solutions, Leeds Building Society, or specialist Buildstore. Deposits, rates and terms vary depending on planning permissions and the stage of the building.

According to Buildstore, the amount you can borrow to purchase the land will be 75 per cent of its current value, and for the build costs, again you can borrow around 75 per cent of the end value.

A lender will want to see detailed plans for the property, a projection of costs and planning permission details, and the whole application process can take five months on average!

Lenders usually release the money for a self-build in five to seven stages, taking a project from foundations to the finished property. They may want to inspect each stage before signing off on the next slice of money.

According to an article in The Guardian way back in 2011, the UK Government is keen to make financing self-build projects easier to obtain, and from a more competitive selection of lenders.