Extra £50,000 awarded to ”ensure continuation of Planed’s Community Land Trust project”

PEMBROKESHIRE County Council has provided extra £50,000 to ensure that plans for a community land trust in Solva continue.

A delegated decision by the director of resources Jon Haswell and cabinet member for finance Cllr Bob Kilmister states that the funding support was to “ensure the continuation of PLANED’s Community Land Trust project.”

The money will be taken from the housing need element of Pembrokeshire County Council’s second home council tax levy and will allow a further 12 months of the project, with a further review of funding in February 2021.

The council is a key stakeholder and partner in the CLT, set up in November 2017, which received European Union LEADER funding for a pilot that was then developed in the a model for Solva, signed off by cabinet in December last year.

It will result in affordable housing in the coastal village being built with the CLT in partnership with ATEB.

LEADER funding ceases at the end of this year and an application for National Lottery funding by PLANED had been turned down, the decision report states, which is why the council funding is being provided for the pilot scheme.

The funding covers salary costs of £31,00 “on-costs” of £5,358 and consultant fees of £9,042 as well as overheads, marketing and travel, the report adds.

“The funding award will run from 1st June 2020 – 31st May 2021, it is considered critical that final planning approval for the Solva site must be in place prior to this date. The current CLT work schedule will be amended to reflect this, and this will form part of PCC’s contract with PLANED,” states the report.