News

A special event on site in Shepherdswell highlights the success of the project

Officers and members from Dover District Council, along with representatives from English Rural, the Community Land Trust, the Parish Council, and the Church Commissioners joined us on site this week in Shepherdswell to help lay some bricks on the first of the new homes and a celebratory stone to help highlight the special nature of this project.

The new homes being built are the result of many years of hard work by Kent’s very first Community Land Trust (CLT), involving Shepherdswell and Coldred CLT working in partnership with English Rural HA to bring forward this site for development.

With construction underway, this event provided a great opportunity for all parties involved to visit site and see the excellent progress being made. When complete, the project will fulfil a housing need for local residents, providing ten affordable homes to be managed by English Rural, and three homes offered for open market sale by WW Martin.

Alison Thompson, English Rural’s Deputy Development Director, expressed her enthusiasm for the project, saying:

“We are proud to be part of this ground-breaking partnership with the Shepherdswell and Coldred CLT. This project demonstrates the power of collaboration between community land trusts and housing associations, which enables us to create sustainable, affordable housing solutions for rural communities. The success of this project in Shepherdswell serves as a testament to the dedication and hard work of all parties involved and will hopefully inspire other communities in Kent and beyond to explore similar initiatives.”