Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Ilfracombe Community Land Trust was held on Tuesday, 19 May.
There were no resolutions, and the current Board were reelected en bloc.
The Chairman, Mark Read, gave the following report:
Chair’s Report
In life, transition points are risky. I’m someone who is greatly lacking in navigational skills but who loves long walks and multi-day cycling adventures, and I’ve learned the hard way that a slight deviation in direction at a transition point can lead to a significant departure from the original destination or aim.
I was pleased to be tangentially involved with the Ilfracombe Poverty Truth Commission, which recently produced a valuable video describing the complexities of poverty in Ilfracombe.
Watching it is not just a helpful reminder of our motivation as a Community Land Trust but a renewal of our direction. The Ilfracombe Community Land Trust began as a community-led response to a community-felt crisis. Whilst we should celebrate and enjoy the journey we are travelling, it is helpful to remember why we started the journey – because our friends and neighbours live in inadequate, insecure, dehumanising and dangerous accommodation.
In the past year, we have seen the board take some good steps alongside the ordinary requirements of maintaining a trust. Project 1, the development of the Bicclescombe Nursery site, has transitioned from “enabling works” with North Devon Council and Skinners Construction to “main build” with Aster and Poltair. In between this transition was the critical signing of the contract and lease documents, which seemed to take just as much design, negotiation, and construction as the project itself.
Site activity has greatly increased with Poltair establishing itself on the site and, thus far, maintaining an impressive programme. It has been apparent that we have the right builders for the job; with a strong sense of professionalism in their work, combined with a personal connection and commitment to the town and the site, there is a feeling of confidence in the build.
So, as a trust, our gaze should be cast forward, hence my thinking about transitions. There is little left for us to nudge along with Project 1, but over the next year, there are a few things we should turn our attention to.
- Planning and preparing ways to engage and involve the residents of Project 1; fostering and supporting a sense of community within the development, as well as potentially augmenting the board with voices with life experience as direct beneficiaries of the trust.
- Develop our communications. As Project 1 reaches its crescendo, we have an opportunity to share a positive story of a community-led project.
- Engage our community: In the next months, we will be visiting schools, opening students' eyes to the power of community-led initiatives – but that is something our whole community can see to believe in.
- Project 2? There are possibilities for other developments to increase the supply of much-needed quality socially rented accommodation.
But for now, there is a lot to be grateful for.
For our board, who give their time and energy to this work. At personal cost, at times through illness, frustration, and confusion, each of our board members contributes to a trust that continues to take good steps forward.
So thank you.