About us

Our Mission Statement

Craven Community Land Trust exists:

  • To provide and maintain genuinely affordable housing for those living in, working in, or connected to the Craven area, who would otherwise be unable to afford to live or stay in the area.
  • To secure rental properties in permanent community ownership, ensuring that affordable housing remains affordable and available for those who need it in perpetuity.
  • To help assure the future of local services and community organisations by securing land or premises in perpetuity as community assets.

What is a Community Land Trust?

Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are a form of community-led housing. The CLT acquires land or buildings through purchase (by the community) or a gift, and oversees the development of genuinely affordable housing to buy or rent. The housing remains affordable in perpetuity – the CLT is a not-for-profit group and acts as a long-term steward of the homes built.

Why is this Community Land Trust Important?

We are very concerned that there is very little housing available at affordable rents in our area for people who have grown up here or are working here on lower salaries than the national average (£36,972 annual; £711per week – March 2025)

We see our demographic as young people who cannot afford to get on the housing ladder, who cannot afford to pay high rents in an area of holiday lets, second homes and retirees from other places. Many of them are still living in the family home, long after they would have left to set up their own households in the past. Also, down sizers who want to remain in the area/village/town that they have spent most of their lives in. Then there are people whose households have been obliged to split, through ill health or divorce, leaving them unable to buy another home in the area. North Yorkshire Council does not currently (March 2025) intend to build new homes or become a social housing landlord. However they do intend to support developers, Registered Housing Providers, Community Led Homes organisations and Community Land Trusts, to access advice from their housing enablers and any finance which becomes available.

What area do we cover?

Craven Community Land Trust covers the district of Craven in North Yorkshire, as it exists as of January 2022, namely the parishes of Airton, Appletreewick, Arncliffe, Austwick, Bank Newton, Barden, Beamsley, Bentham, Bolton Abbey, Bordley, Bradleys Both, Broughton, Buckden, Burnsall, Burton in Lonsdale, Calton, Carleton, Clapham cum Newby, Coniston Cold, Conistone with Kilnsey, Cononley, Cowling, Cracoe, Draughton, Elslack, Embsay with Eastby, Eshton, Farnhill, Flasby with Winterburn, Gargrave, Giggleswick, Glusburn and Cross Hills, Grassington, Halton East, Halton Gill, Halton West, Hanlith, Hartlington, Hawkswick, Hazlewood with Storiths, Hebden, Hellifield, Hetton, Horton in Ribblesdale, Ingleton, Kettlewell with Starbotton, Kildwick, Kirkby Malham, Langcliffe, Lawkland, Linton, Litton, Long Preston, Lothersdale, Malham, Malham Moor, Martons Both, Nappa, Otterburn, Rathmell, Rylstone, Scosthrop, Settle, Skipton, Stainforth, Stirton with Thorlby, Sutton, Swinden, Thornton in Craven, Thornton in Lonsdale, Thorpe, Threshfield, Wigglesworth.

The geographical area covered by CCLT has not been affected by the move to the new North Yorkshire unitary authority in April 2023.

Source: davidkidd.net Ordnance Survey U.K. – Craven_District-Yorkshire-map-roads.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12165696

Who is eligible to be housed by Craven Community Land Trust?

Allocations of housing will be decided by a panel made up of a minimum of three members of the CCLT board, meeting as and when required.

To join the Craven Community Land Trust housing register, you must qualify under our eligibility criteria. Homes will then be allocated on a first come first served basis, unless there are particular circumstances, which will be discussed by the panel.

Eligibility:

CCLT Tenancies in the Craven Area will be for individuals and couples, one of whom must be already living in, working in, or having close family ties within the area.

Our homes will be made available to single people or couples living on an income which is equal to or less than the basic single tier UK State Pension Allowance. Applicants will be asked to provide information about their income before registration.

Applicants aged 16 and 17 (and care leavers) will be only accepted if they have support to enable them to sustain a tenancy and a trustee which can hold a tenancy on their behalf until they reach the age of 18.