Loic Rich founded the Truro Community Land Trust in the summer of 2015 to supply people in Truro with genuinely affordable homes to rent or purchase, based on what people actually earn in the area. Not just for now but for every future occupier.
For the whole of my twenties I was homeless. I remember thinking at the time that if I had somewhere permanent to live that was really good and safe and secure I would be able to live and do stuff. It really affected me and the way that I lived my life.
What is your name?
My name is Loic Rich. I come from Truro in Cornwall. It’s a small market city surrounded by fields and an estuary. It’s quite busy and popular. People think it’s pretty and there’s lots of shops. The main employment is local authority, heath and retail.
Can you remember when you decided to get involved in CLTs?
Yes I can. I’m a county councilor and another Independent councilor was doing something on land and housing and I kept looking around and thinking, who are all these people doing land stuff and why isn’t there one in Truro. Julian, the other councillor, said, “Well you can just go and set one up. So I did.” That was in the summer of 2015.
What’s the proudest moment?
It’s not one particular time, but every time I go to one of our steering group meetings there are people there who represent the communities. Every time I go there I’m surprised they’ve turned up, because they’re all busy people. They’re all really nice as well.
I’m just so grateful that even though we haven’t built anything yet but we have people will lots of skills and enthusiasm and that makes me proud?
What’s been the hardest moment so far?
The hardest moments for me are that I kept trying to work out how you do it and how it all works. I found it hard questioning it. The minute I stopped questioning it and just got on with it, I found it easier.
What drives me?
That’s easy. It’s easy to forget because I have my dream job as a politician and I’m in a band. But for probably the whole of my twenties I was homeless – not on the streets, but sleeping on people’s sofas and renting really awful places. I remember thinking at the time that if I had somewhere permanent to live that was really good and safe and secure I would be able to live and do stuff. Bad housing in Cornwall especially holds people back. It really affected me and the way that I lived my life.
I promised myself when I was struggling that if I ever got into a position of power I would try and do those things I found difficult. That’s what gets me through.
What’s the next step?
We have appointed someone who is a commercial property agent and we’re going to pay him a bit to do a bit of professional site identification. I’m meeting up with the strategic property person in Cornwall council to look at some sites. The more we know what we we want to achieve the easier it is to ask for stuff. We’re not just idly pitching for stuff, we have a project in mind. The more that is in focus, the easier it will be to meet up with people and convince them to give us whatever it is we’re after.
How will the outcome of the EU referendum affect what you do?
The outcome of the EU referendum in Cornwall is very strange. Cornwall voted to leave by 48-52, which was very disappointing for anyone involved in EU funding in Cornwall. Cornwall is the beneficiary of around a billion pounds of EU funding at the moment, over a four to five year timespan. We have a university and other things that we got from EU funding at a time when London didn’t communicate with Cornwall very well. We have built up a great relationship with negotiators in Brussels.
I was at an economy meeting yesterday and we are thinking about maintaining our office in Brussels because we need those links to much. Will the impact on Cornwall be really bad? I have no idea to be honest.
A lot of people I have spoken to that voted to leave actually like Europe but wan’t to stick two fingers up to the Government. People weren’t voting to leave the EU, but they felt they weren’t being listened to by the government. It was an unusual referendum in that respect. I do respect that people in Cornwall voted out. I think, good, that’s your right, if you wanted to stick to fingers up, that’s your right. It might now be a bit tricky.
What advice would you give?
Please do it. The CLT Network is very supportive. There are people all around the country doing this and it is achievable.
It doesn’t really matter what your outcome is or how different it was from your initial aims. It matter that it’s a community project and at the very least you’re going to be engaging with the community and creating links with people. Probably that’s almost as important as creating physical spaces, from homes or businesses or parks.
Because that’s community, you need community. We’re human beings and we’re social. Being isolated is really bad for your health – the best thing you can do is be a part of community in whatever way. A community land trust is a place for ideas, all those ideas you have in the shower that you’re not sure if they might work, this is a place for that. Community Land Trusts are crazy really because you never really know how they work. And yeah a private company could probably do what we’re doing far more efficiently for less money, but a trust adds social value.
Loic, it’s wonderful to see your experience being translated into meaningful action. I was born in a housing cooperative, where people worked together to build their own and each others homes. My parents were in their teens at the time. Where are these opportunities for our young today, and where are the young for the opportunities?