News and events

We have taken the next step in progressing our first housing scheme in the Holme Valley, the Chippings site at Scholes. The vision of our locally based housing charity is to build homes for local people that they can afford, that are cheap to run and fit for the future.

A request has been just been submitted for the Kirklees MC planners’ initial and technical advice on using the site for up to ten affordable homes. The homes will be built to high quality, low-energy standards, modelling how future homes should be constructed. This is a small-scale scheme which will be in a pleasant environment with as much open, shared space on the site as possible. Our outline proposals reflect the ideas that were supported in the wide community consultation during last summer and seek to address issues raised by local residents in more recent conversations.

The site is a former quarry on the edge of Scholes village at the corner of Chapelgate and Dean Bridge Lane and is owned by the Holme Valley Land Charity who wish it to be used for a good social purpose. The homes will be kept in community ownership and remain affordable in perpetuity.

More affordable homes and a more sustainable approach to local developments is at the heart of the Holme Valley Neighbourhood Plan, shortly to be voted on by the community. Evidence from our surveys show that around 80% of people believe that homes being built should be within the price range of local people who otherwise are forced to move away.

We should know in October whether we can proceed to the next stage of submitting a planning application following full consultation with the local community.

Open-air consultations on-site about a potential housing site for affordable, low-energy homes in Scholes in the Holme Valley, have been taking place over the last weekend.

EcoHolmes, a community-led housing trust and the Holme Valley Land Charity have been sounding out the views of local residents on turning a small ex-quarry plot, Chippings, at the corner of Chapelgate and Dean Bridge Lane on the edge of Scholes village, into use for a positive social purpose.

Scores of residents have answered an invitation by two local charities to discuss the merits of building exemplary affordable and low-energy homes on a small charity-owned plot. The innovative new homes would be for local people who are priced out of the housing market in the Holme Valley.

“It’s about time we did something about local young families and older people being forced away from where they have family, jobs and roots because of ridiculous rents and prices”, says the Chair of EcoHolmes, Stephen Sheard.

“Most of the new houses being built in the Holme Valley are beyond the reach of local working people. They encourage long-distance commuting. Nor are they generally being built to the standards needed for the future, with low-carbon and low-energy in mind”

Anyone wanting to learn more about EcoHolmes or the Land Charity  – both have websites: ww.holmevalleylandcharity.org.uk. or email at info@ecoholmes.org.uk . EcoHolmes is part of a national network of nearly 300 Community Land Trusts.

Holme Valley’s own Community-led Housing charity, EcoHolmes, has come up with a vision of the sort of homes we should have in the future – affordable, energy-efficient and sustainable.

After a summer of consulting with local people, we have produced display boards full of ideas about environmentally friendly, low energy and affordable homes perpetually available to people who have grown up and work in the Holme Valley.

The ‘concept siteplan’ above shows what might be built into a small development of such homes. Not all schemes would be this size or be able to contain all the ideashttps://ecoholmes.org.uk/resources/. But this captures what people have said is needed and is what has been done by other community housing trusts elsewhere.

To turn the ideas into reality, EcoHolmes need small suitable sites at reasonable cost in the Valley. We are confident of being able to attract funding to build affordable, cheap-to-run houses fit for the future.

We are still asking for ideas from people, especially those young families or older people who might be interested in these smaller homes.

If you want to see our other EcoHolmes concept display boards, click here