Andrew Griffith spoke at the event, which was attended by Midhurst Town Council, South Downs National Park Authority, local parish councils, Metis Homes, the Cowdray Estate, and Chichester District Council, and future tenants. Clare Apel, Chair of the district council, unveiled the commemorative plaque which will be placed on the building.
Farriers House is a purpose built property, owned by the Midhurst community through the Community Land Trust (CLT), and will be rented to local people for affordable rents. This will help to keep local families and key workers in the village, and is the second development from Midhurst CLT, a charity run by a formidable group of dedicated volunteers. The Trust is run by Adrian Moore, Chairman, and trustee directors Gordon McAra, Neil Hart DL, David Coote, Peter Gibbon, Peter Collins, and Paul Mellings.
Midhurst was the first CLT to deliver community-owned homes in Sussex with two houses in the centre of Midhurst. The newest addition of 8 apartments in Easebourne, built by Metis Homes, is a proud moment for everyone involved with the Trust. They will be handing the keys over to the new tenants over the course of the next few weeks.
Adrian Moore, the Trust’s Chairman said, “We are really grateful to Chichester District Council, the South Downs National Park Authority, Friends of Midhurst Cottage Hospital and the Boltini Trust, for their exceptional help in enabling us to buy these new homes. They will make a difference, in an area of high rents, in providing rented accommodation at affordable rents for those who want to live and work in the Midhurst area.”
Andrew Griffith said:
“This is a very special moment for Midhurst and is the result of the Midhurst Community Land Trust’s hardworking volunteers and their partners in the project. There is no greater challenge than the idea of low cost housing for local people. Community Land Trust are something that cumulatively is making a huge difference and I have seen this across the Arundel and South Downs constituency, of communities acting for themselves. There are 25,000 community land trust homes in the pipeline across the country and it is a terrific movement that deserves all of our support.
“It is the greatest gift of a community to provide secure homes, with security of tenure. Congratulations to everyone involved.”
For more information, see: midhurstclt.org