UDCLT NEWS (most recent at the top)Trust nominated for Community Land Trust Network award for Bainbridge Project
NOVEMBER 2025 We were delighted to find out that we'd recently been shortlisted for a prestigious award by the Community Land Trust Network, the membership body for CLTs across England and Wales.
The CLT Awards are the Network's annual awards that celebrate the amazing things happening in Community Land Trusts across England and Wales, as well as the leaders that drive this change. We were nominated - in the category of 'Beautiful community-led homes' - for our first successful affordable homes project, the conversion of Bainbridge Chapel into two stunning two-bedroomed flats. These are now lived in by people living and working in the remote upper Wensleydale. Although we didn't win this year, we were very pleased that, as a new CLT, all the hard work that we, our partners and the community of Bainbridge had put in to the project had been recognised and rewarded by the nomination. PREVIOUS NEWS STORIES, MOST RECENT FIRST
2025 Housing Needs Survey - the results are in!SEPTEMBER 2025 Back in May this year, most residents in Arkengarthdale and Upper Swaledale received a Housing Needs Survey through their letterboxes. In addition, the Upper Dales Community Land Trust (UDCLT) rang round the majority of businesses in the area with a short telephone questionnaire. Thanks to all those who responded to either or both of these surveys. The UDCLT and North Yorkshire Council’s Rural Housing Enablers wanted to formally assess the level of shortage for affordable, sustainable housing for people born, living or working in the Upper Dales - and the results are in.
The published Survey Report summary states: “Based on the results of the Housing Needs Survey, it is recommended that a total of 17 affordable homes are required to meet the housing need identified across the Parishes surveyed.” It goes on to say: “It is also important to note that although we currently have an identified need of 17 affordable homes, experience has shown us that once any scheme starts under construction a hidden need may come forward which has not been included in this report.” The results provide solid evidence to back up the UDCLT’s long-held beliefs around the shortage of affordable homes for local people living and working in the remote Upper Dales. The Housing Needs Survey Report also energises the Trust’s ongoing Chapel Garth project: to build four new sustainable and affordable homes in Arkengarthdale, the northern-most Dale in the National Park. The scheme has outline planning permission and the UDCLT, in association with North Star Housing Group, will be exploring funding and partnership opportunities. We will also be consulting and involving the local community along with way to make sure that everyone is kept in the picture. Although we have a challenging time ahead we also know that we’ve succeeded before - with the beautiful affordable homes created at Bainbridge’s former Methodist Chapel - and we’ve also built some incredible partnerships and relationships along the way, essential to making our vision a reality. READ ABOUT THE RESEARCH AND FINDINGS HERE! Housing Needs Survey landing in Upper SwaledaleAPRIL 2025 This May, most residents in Arkengarthdale and Upper Swaledale will see a Housing Needs Survey coming through their letterboxes. With the support of North Yorkshire Council’s Rural Housing Enablers, the Upper Dales Community Land Trust wants to assess the level of shortage for affordable, sustainable housing for people born, living or working in the Upper Dales.
The UDCLT has already successfully created and let two 2-bedroom affordable flats in Bainbridge, Upper Wensleydale in the former Methodist Chapel there, but in order to continue this work we need to confirm what regional and national data is saying by getting a clear picture of local housing need.
Just as importantly, if anyone knows of people with a strong local connection who are living outside the parishes of Arkengarthdale; Reeth, Fremington & Healaugh; Marske & New Forest; Melbecks & Gunnerside, Marrick & Hurst; Muker; and Grinton & Ellerton Abbey and wish to return to the survey area, they can obtain a questionnaire from [email protected]. UDCLT cross the finish line!Above, the chapel before works began and below the beautifully transformed building and flats
SEPTEMBER 2024 We are absolutely delighted that our first project, the conversion of the old and derelict Methodist Chapel in Bainbridge into two affordable units, is now completed. The building work was carried out from January 2024 to September 2024, transforming the former chapel into two beautiful, spacious, characterful AND AFFORDABLE two-bedroom flats. As of 16th September, 2024 these two homes are now let to people from the small local community who applied and qualified for our affordable housing via North Yorkshire Home Choice. This is a huge achievement for us, and we could not have got past the finish line without securing the partnership support of North Star Housing Group, a NE-based housing association, who have undertaken the complex building works. They secured grant support from Homes England and also invested their own resources which, along with the funding from the former Richmondshire District Council, allowed the project to move forwards. North Star will also handle the ongoing management of the properties and their tenants. In the last 9 months the huge internal space has been transformed from derelict building into two spacious and characterful 2-bedroom affordable homes. Both ground floor and first floor flats have two bedrooms, and a large open plan living room/kitchen/dining area. The top flat has a bathroom and the ground floor has both a bathroom and a shower room. In addition, the ground floor flat is fully accessible. Outside, there is a communal courtyard with storage sheds and a small garden area. As far as possible the former role of the building has been retained - for example some of the original Chapel pews have been repurposed as hallway seating in the two flats. Externally the landmark retains its original impressive appearance whilst sporting new windows and doors and smart new repointing of its stonework. So as well as providing affordable and sustainable housing to local people who will really benefit from this new development, we are delighted that the chapel’s character and historic significance for the tight-knit community has been retained. Now that we have proved that a small band of enthusiastic volunteers with a vision can make a difference to the affordable housing picture in a remote Upper Dales community there's no stopping us! We will continue in our quest, and are already very busy progressing a number of future projects. Watch this space. VIEW OUR GALLERY OF IMAGES - BEFORE WORKS BEGAN AND MONTH BY MONTH AS THE CHAPEL TRANSFORMS INTO TWO FINISHED AFFORDABLE 2-BEDROOM FLATS The Transformation Begins!JANUARY 2024 The Upper Dales Community Land Trust (UDCLT) are delighted that at long last its first affordable housing project is physically underway; builders have started work on the transformation of the former Methodist Chapel into two affordable 2-bedroom flats. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who last summer visited our stand at the Reeth Show and has been following our progress, came along to the Bainbridge site on Friday 26 January to witness first hand our long-awaited project finally getting off the ground. During his visit Rishi Sunak commented: "The chapel is an important part of Bainbridge's history and it is wonderful that a new use has been found for the building - a use that will help to provide much-needed affordable accommodation in the heart of the community."
The building work could only go ahead with two major puzzle pieces falling into place - firstly the formalisation of the partnership between the UDCLT and North Star (a north-east based housing association), although prior to the official signatures North Star have been working extremely hard behind the scenes over the past year to bring us all to this juncture. Stephen Stubbs, the UDCLT’s Chair and Founder, explains: “Just this month we are very pleased to have signed our partnership agreement with North Star. They will manage the build project on a day-to-day basis and will also look after the running of the affordable housing units when they are ready for tenants.” Emma Speight, Executive Director of Assets and Growth at North Star, is delighted that her organisation is now officially partnered with the UDCLT and the ground work of creating the two affordable housing units can finally get going. She says: “One of North Star’s strengths is being able to work in partnerships to develop smaller and bespoke affordable housing. Being able to do this in a such a fantastic rural location, where there is a great demand for affordable rented homes is really rewarding and exciting. It’s taken a lot of hard work and commitment from all concerned to get to this stage and I’m looking forward to seeing the building being brought back to life.” And the second important puzzle piece was successfully securing a building firm to take on the former Chapel conversion. Stephen Stubbs says: “It’s great news that Richmond-based Randall Orchard Construction Ltd have come on board and they have now started on site. Getting a major property conversion project off the ground in the remote Upper Dales is not without its challenges so having Randall Orchard on side to work on our first major affordable housing project is excellent news.” Graeme Newton, Managing Director, Randall Orchard Construction Ltd agrees: “ I am personally delighted to be commencing works on the Old Chapel in Bainbridge knowing these projects can take a long time coming to fruition. We will hope to produce a lovely sympathetic conversion to provide much needed affordable housing in Wensleydale and at the same time make use of such a landmark building in the village. All the team at Randall Orchards will endeavour to cause as little disruption as possible on this compact site!!” Funding for this project has been provided by the UDCLT from grants from the former Richmondshire District Council, North Star Housing Group and Homes England, the Government’s housing and regeneration agency. And so it was fitting that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak scheduled Friday’s visit to Bainbridge to see first hand what the Trust, its partners and its funders have set in motion. He had visited the UDCLT stand at the Reeth Agricultural Show last year and viewed the project’s architectural plans; as he walked around the interior of the chapel he was clearly delighted to be able to see the start of the old chapel’s transformation for himself. If you would. like to find out more about how to apply for one of these affordable housing units when they are completed, visit this page. Partnerships - the way forward for the UDCLTMAY 2023 The former Methodist Chapel in Bainbridge recently hosted a significant gathering of people who will all play an essential role in the Upper Dales Community Land Trust’s ongoing journey towards the creation of affordable housing for local people living and working in the remote Upper Dales.
Back in 2022, the volunteer-led Upper Dales Community Land Trust (UDCLT) were delighted when they were awarded funding in excess of £340,000 from the then Richmondshire District Council. This funding enabled them to buy the former Methodist Chapel in Bainbridge for a planned conversion into two 2-bedroomed affordable housing units. However, although they now had a property they still required additional financial support to complete the renovations, and they were short of specific housing expertise to manage the ongoing build and maintenance of their project. Happily, they were introduced to North Star - a north-east based housing association whose purpose is to provide affordable housing, invest in their communities and develop new homes across the Tees Valley, North Yorkshire and County Durham. North Star had been looking to extend their housing network into this remote part of the Yorkshire Dales, and so were very pleased to find out about the premises the UDCLT had already purchased at Bainbridge, and the Trust’s ongoing build ambitions. As a small community land trust, the UDCLT isn’t a registered housing provider and therefore is not able to apply directly for financial support from Homes England, the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. However North Star is a registered provider and they were able to approach Homes England on behalf of the Trust. All involved were thrilled when Homes England confirmed they were awarding a grant towards the Bainbridge project. Hence the recent gathering - Stephen Stubbs, Chair of the UDCLT, North Star’s Sarah Fawcett (Head of Development) and Richard Panter, Growth Manager at Homes England, along with volunteers from the Trust - all came together to celebrate new partnerships and to see the former Chapel prior to its transformation. At the meeting Sarah explained her organisation’s role in this project: “The heart of North Star is very much about working in communities and not imposing ourselves upon them - we just felt that this was an opportunity for us to partner with an organisation in a rural area we’ve not currently got a connection with. There’s obviously a housing need, and the UDCLT has skills, expertise, passion and interest; it feels to me like this could be the start of a partnership relationship that we’d love to explore to meet additional housing needs in the area.” Homes England’s Richard Panter, who was keen to see the building and community ‘before’ the works start, confirmed the importance of alliances: “When North Star and the UDCLT teamed up it was a beautiful moment. We rely on organisations such as North Star to hear about opportunities for us to provide financial awards in areas where we’ve not to date been able to reach. This project involves a community land trust promoting community-led rural housing, and in a location where we know we haven’t delivered a lot. We also know there’s very high need and big affordability issues.” Richard went on: “The fact that the local authority had already invested in terms of the land means there’s real commitment and real partnership there and it looks like a deliverable scheme; lots of heavy lifting had been done before I got involved and North Star brought it to us.” Sarah agreed: “It’s extremely helpful that HE can provide some financial support and I think it’s been exceptionally helpful that Richmondshire District Council have been so supportive financially because these things are expensive to do - North Star is prepared to put money and expertise into these projects, but we do need other people to contribute to the costs as well.” Stephen Stubbs summed up what these alliances mean for the UDCLT: “The Trust volunteers all have jobs so we don’t have the capacity to organise the build of these properties and then manage them in the long term. We do have in-depth knowledge of the rural communities and insight into the area’s affordable housing need so we see ourselves as facilitating the creation of affordable housing in these deeply rural areas by teaming up with partners such as RDC, North Star and Homes England.”
Spreading the wordJULY 2022 We were very pleased that The Yorkshire Post Newspaper published our story about the purchase of Bainbridge Methodist Chapel both online https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/.../people-power-has... and in Saturday 23rd July's print edition. The article also highlights the range of issues facing younger people with regards to accessing affordable housing in the remote Upper Dales, and our plans for future projects.
Sale of Chapel confirmed for conversion
20 July 2022
Exiting news! The Upper Dales Community Land Trust (UDCLT) has confirmed it has bought the former Bainbridge Methodist Chapel to renovate and convert into two affordable and sustainable apartments. They will be let specifically to local people living and working in the remote Upper Dales. Following the discovery and removal of asbestos in 2019, the Chapel has been empty awaiting sale to the UDCLT, a group run by local volunteers. The Trust was formed in 2017 in response to the growing issue of local people being unable to afford to buy or rent properties locally. Stephen Stubbs, Chair of the Trust said: “Whilst the Chapel will only provide two new homes for local people, it is a start and we have other possibilities in the pipeline too. We are very grateful to Richmondshire District Council for supporting us with funds, and to the Methodist Circuit for allowing us to buy the chapel. We recognise that the hard work is just starting!” District Council Leader, Councillor Angie Dale, said that providing affordable housing in the rural Upper Dales is a key priority for the authority. “We are pleased to see this project taking off – we have already provided funding in excess of £340,000 and look forward to working with the Trust as the site develops.” Revd Melanie Reed, Superintendent of the North Yorkshire Dales Methodist Circuit, said “The Circuit Trustees are absolutely thrilled that the Chapel has been purchased by the Trustees of The Upper Dales Community Land Trust and wish them every success as they work towards converting the property into affordable housing, ensuring that the Chapel building remains an important part of the local community.” County Councillor Yvonne Peacock added, “I have a long personal history with the Chapel and am so glad that it will be retained for local people.” The group hope to have the properties ready for occupation in 2023. Anyone wanting more information or interested in supporting the UDCLT should email [email protected]. Become a Friend of UDCLT by registering your details and we'll keep in touch with all our news. |
UDCLT EVENTSReeth Show 2025AUGUST 2025 What a brilliant day we had at the Reeth Agricultural Show this year - a stunning day of sunshine, combined with a steady flow of visitors to our Stand wanting to find out about the completed Bainbridge Chapel project and also our exciting plans for new homes in Arkengarthdale. We shared architect's drawings and floor plans for Chapel Garth, a new planned development of two two-bedroomed and two three-bedroomed sustainable and affordable homes in this remote Dale. Thanks to all who came to say hello.
PREVIOUS EVENTS, MOST RECENT FIRSTBainbridge Chapel Celebratory Event, November 22nd 2024NOVEMBER 2024 Last week the Upper Dales Community Land Trust and North Star Housing Group hosted a joyful celebration to mark the successful completion of our project to create two stunning and affordable two-bedroom units in the former Methodist Chapel in Bainbridge. Our invited guests were supporters, funders, builders, partners, volunteers and friends who have all been key to the scheme's ultimate success. Rishi Sunak MP joined us for the event to present one of our new tenants with some honorary keys; he visited us back in January 2024 as the building works got underway and promised then that he wanted to return when the works were completed. It was a wonderful occasion to acknowledge the significant journey we as a Trust have been on and celebrate our achievements with our partners and supporters. This project has proved that we CAN be instrumental in creating affordable homes in the remote Upper Dales - and has fuelled our desire to get on with our next affordable housing venture.
Reeth Show 2024AUGUST 2024 We enjoyed meeting lots of people at the Reeth Agricultural Show who visited our stand and shared their concerns and hopes about the creation of affordable homes in our remote Dales.
INVITATION TO INFORMATION EVENT - work starting soon on Bainbridge Chapel!SEPTEMBER 2023 The Upper Dales Community Land Trust (UDCLT) are excited to announce we are now in a position to start building work on the Bainbridge Methodist Chapel conversion. In the coming months the building will be transformed into two affordable 2-bedroom flats specifically for people living and working in this remote Dales community. So we are hosting a:
DROP-IN INFORMATION EVENT THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2023 - join us any time between 6pm and 8pm BAINBRIDGE VILLAGE HALL (Bainbridge, DL8 3EN - on the junction of Cam High Road and Scott Hill) ALL WELCOME!
Supporting UsWould you like to get involved organising and/or running one of our events? Find out how you can help here.
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Registered Office: Hudson House, Anvil Square, Reeth, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL11 6TB
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