Bridget Petty is the development officer for Bristol Community Land Trust, which just completed its first 12 properties. Seven families bought the properties as shared owners and the other five rent. Bridget helps them with the paperwork, gets them settled and is in the process of working out what it means for the CLT to be a landlord.
I want it to be easier, I want people to be able to get on with it without the four or five years of slog that terrify people out of it now.
Where do you live?
I live just outside Bristol. Where I live now is leafy and green, but I was living is central Bristol and I grew up in Bristol.
How did you get involved in Bristol Community Land Trust?
I was a volunteer board member and so I learned about the organisation and decided I would go for the role when it came up. We just completed our first 12 properties. My job has been helping the new residents settle.
At the same time we have people seeing these houses built and saying, “Can I be a member? Can I have a house like that?” So we are trying to manage that response.
And I’m helping support the board. And making sure we have some communications and marketing.
And we have a new scheme that we’re doing the pre-planning on, so I’m involved in that as well. In three days a week.
How do you fit it all in?
I struggle to fit it all in, but I do. I’ve identified that there might be an intern available. I rely on the board members and we are looking for more. And we look to see how our residents and members of the scheme can continue to take ownership of the development.
What’s been your proudest moment?
I’ve really enjoyed recently, in the past weeks, helping residents who have worked on a scheme for the past year move in. I’m a first time buyer in the last couple of years and I know what it’s like to get the keys and have your property. They’re moving their families into a home that they time pride in where they are involved in the community and that’s really exciting and really rewarding.
What’s been the hardest moment?
We’re a very small organization and it is ambitious to build 12 properties. I’m still new to my position. But in the last couple of months we’ve had contractors coming and a lot of language that I don’t know but I’m learning.
So trying to get all the things that are due to be delivered delivered on time. With all the different people who have a lot of expectations around the success of scheme leaning on you to ensure it happens.
What drives you in those moment?
It is a paid job, so that helps. But the fact that we have residents moving in and having a secure home is massive and that’s definitely keeping me going.
Was their one moment when you decided that this was what you wanted to do?
I thought that I wouldn’t be able to buy a house because I couldn’t see that I would have that financial security in my future.
That’s changed and I am more secure, but having felt like that for a long time and then seeing that there was an organisation trying to solve that for people in Bristol, I wanted to be part of that solution to help others have a more secure house.
What’s the next step?
We’re developing the next site.
Our first scheme has been 12 properties and the next one will be about 45. It is quite a step up but we needed to prove ourselves with the smaller site. The next site is one that Bristol City Council are yet to develop. They own it and providing that we provide quality housing for the right people they’re selling it to us at a good price.
We want to do an exemplar scheme that is innovative with high sustainability standards that is a high quality build, but we have more than 400 members on our list asking if they can have a quality house that they can afford.
And there will be more coming soon, because we’re going to have a launch event. Bristol needs it, Bristol people are interested, they’re determined.
Our first site was an old schoolhouse that we developed into six duplex apartments and six three-bedroom new builds. Our next scheme is going to be entirely new build. However we wouldn’t be against regeneration of existing buildings, there are advantages and disadvantages when it comes to retrofitting, the costs.
How did you vote in the EU referendum and why?
I voted to remain and was really distressed and baffled the next day when I felt that the rest of the population didn’t feel the same way as me and my circle of friends.
I don’t know what the concern or the challenges for the CLT going forward but I think it’s sad that the impression that we’ve given to our EU neighbours and those who live here and I think people were misled and became confused about what the referendum was about, which also makes me angry.
I am concerned that our construction industry relies on the semi-skilled labour that comes here from other countries to work hard. It may impact how much it costs for us to build houses.
What would you say to someone who is looking to get involved in a CLT?
CLTs can be a excellent mechanism for building new houses or community assets for groups. But as with many organisation and community land trusts specifically there is a lot of things to think about and challenges to overcome.
You can’t do it alone and you need more than three or four people. Because there’s so much to do and it’s all done by volunteers with no money in the early days to keep it going. There are so many things to think about.
But I do think the national CLT movement is a fantastic resource that can help. And the idea that a community can take control of as asset and keep it in perpetuity for the community is a good mechanism. I would definitely say go for it.
I hope in the future that the national network or the umbrella groups will help clusters of groups or families to spin off and go for it. It just should be easier. There should be fewer barriers than there are now. I want it to be easier, I want people to be able to get on with it without the four or five years of slog that terrify people out of it now.
