News and events

Our first Annual General Meeting was held on Zoom on Tuesday 16th February 2021, with some 21 members attending. The CLT now has 63 members and over 200 subscribers to its newsletters. The Chair Stephen Sheard, reported on our first years activities since being established in September 2019, and the Secretary/Acting Treasurer John Queening presented the annual financial accounts for the last year. The Directors Annual Report and the Financial Accounts for FY2020 are both published on this website. In the formal AGM business, the reports and accounts were accepted and a new Management Board elected by the CLT members; all the founder Directors standing down as this was our first AGM.

Presentations were then made by Board members Tony Hood and Matthew Tulley, firstly on feedback from our ‘Listening to the Community’ engagment work and secondly on how this has been applied to our EcoHolmes concept housing – small community sites with 5 to 25 units in small clusters of terraces, in a style that suits the local character of the area, and built as quality sustainable homes fit for the future. Their construction will follow the principles of a ‘fabric first’ design for reducing heat loss and saving energy, as well as being designed for well-being, and lifetime needs, all within a communal setting. A final Q&A session was then held, with the Members having an opportunity to ask questions of the Board of EcoHolmes.

Over three quarters of people who were recently asked, think that we need more affordable homes in the Holme Valley. Nearly half of them personally know someone who cannot find a suitable place to live locally where they work and have connections.

Using an online survey, Eco Holmes have helped fill out a vision for better homes that could be built in this area. Our vision has been shaped by a series of 14 workshops run last year. We are still seeking your views as we work to find the sites and funding to develop affordable, fit-for-the-future homes to help keep people in the Holme Valley.

A majority see the need for more affordable homes justifying extra houses being built; most people would prefer, where possible, to see existing buildings re-used and green space protected.

People want to see an improved standard of homes, so they are well-insulated, cheap and easy to run, using solar power and other sources of renewable energy. They need to be near services, public transport and have charging points to encourage electric cars or even ‘pooled’ cars for neighbours. New homes should be designed to promote neighbourliness with shared outdoor spaces for play and as growing areas.

Using a well-established approach – Community Led Housing – we can make this happen. The homes are owned by the community and rented at low cost to people with local connections.

During the Covid-19 restriction period, the EcoHolmes team have been consulting with the local community about their views on the need for affordable low-energy housing in the Holme Valley. After holding some 12 Zoom discussion group meetings, the feedback has been collated the feedback and is about to be shared as “What the community said…….!”, examples of which are given below:

On Location and Community issues, when asked where new affordable homes should be built in the Holme Valley, the community said ideally on smaller sites in the valley bottom with good access to public transport, services and shops. A number of participants also stated a preference for using viable brownfield sites and wasteland, to avoid encroaching on green areas where possible. Retrofitting existing homes and vacant properties in town centres was also seen as a desirable option. When questioned whether a sense of community could be created by the design of outdoor spaces and whether this would help integrate the build with the local neighbourhood., this was positively received as the following comments suggest :

The consensus was for sustainable homes, ones that are intergenerational with good access to public transport, services, and preferably near a  village, with comments such as :

“I’m attracted by community housing as a different way”

“People invest in a community”

“Get support from people surrounding the development by offering them something”

Constructive feedback ideas on this theme included: combine workspaces with living spaces and make available to non-residents; offer energy generated schemes such as ground source heat pumps to nearby residents; make some of the scheme’s allotments available; create an open design that allows through footpaths; and also discuss the site plans widely.

 “Make homes fit  for modern life, not for 100 years ago”

“I want a home that is part of, not separate from a community.”

“Homes should be seen as a place to live, not an investment.”

For more community feedback on housing needs in the Holme Valley is being made available on the EcoHolmes website and is being emailed out to our members and supporters.