Capturing Value for Rural Communities - Workshop 16th November 2004 OSG Co-op Oxford

[Jock Coats]

I'm not going to apologise, as is the custom, for "cross posting"  
because that would imply I'm sorry, which would be untrue.  But I am  
sorry for not having thought of inviting members of these various  
groups (PLRG, LLC, Diggers, Land Cafe and some Oxfordshire LVT  
campaigners) before now.

I appreciate this is extremely short notice, but we invited mainly  
housing related people and it has turned out that we're only going to  
be a dozen or so at the moment, and I have been asked to contact any  
other networks I'm involved with to see if anyone would be interested  
in the following day-workshop in Oxford next Tuesday, 16th November,  
2004.

Pat Conaty, Steve Bendle and Bob Paterson will be leading the day and  
there will be updates from various projects in Oxfordshire.  At this  
short notice of course it may not be possible for you to come for the  
whole day, so I've been told it's okay to come for just part of the day  
- we suspect the morning will be the better part for updates, the  
afternoon for getting involved.  The only real stipulation we have is  
that if you intend to be around at lunch time, could you let us know so  
we can arrange the right amount of food.

Hope some of you might feel able to come along and network a bit in the  
Co-operative Commonwealth of Oxfordshire...:-)

All the best,

Jock Coats
(And pass this on to anyone you think would be interested)


Community Finance Solutions an initiative of the University of Salford

Invitation to a Workshop Event



Capturing Value for Rural Communities ~ National Best Practice Project
Workshop 16th November 2004 OSG Co-op Oxford

As someone with an interest in, or experience of, local community  
development I have pleasure in inviting you to participate in a  
workshop to discover more about how community finance initiatives are  
being used, around the UK, to secure or retain affordable property in  
perpetuity for a variety of uses from housing and workspace to  
community use. As well as providing input on several case studies  
across the UK and in Oxfordshire, we also aim to discuss and identify  
the main barriers and opportunities for further development along these  
lines across the county. See below for further details and how to  
reply.

"Capturing Value for Rural Communities" is a national project which is  
aiming to identify how people all over the country have tried to put  
their community more in control over its future.

The project hopes to learn from people who have been actively engaged  
in a process to secure or retain affordable property assets in  
perpetuity for housing, workspace or community use; realise added  
value; set up community-owned enterprises or social enterprises; bring  
vacant property back into use; or undertake other projects which will  
have long term benefit for their community.

The day will be facilitated by Bob Paterson (University of Salford,  
Project Director, Community Finance Solutions) and will have input from  
Steve Bendle (Wessex Reinvestment Trust) and Pat Conaty (New Economics  
Foundation and author of the recent report 'Common Ground for Mutual  
Home Ownership', download it from CDS Cooperatives website:  
http://www.cds.coop/document_tree/ViewADocument.asp? 
section=public&ID=119). For an example of Bob and Steve's work check  
out the High Bickington Community Land Trust at www.highbickington.org


Please find the agenda for this workshop on page two. RSVP on the  
attached document to Jennifer Powell – contact details on the RSVP  
document

If you know of anyone else who would have a serious interest in this  
subject for Oxfordshire, please forward contact details to Fran Ryan as  
we may be able to accommodate as few more people and thus make the most  
of this opportunity.

Fran Ryan
+ 44 (0)7889 209448
+ 44 (0)1865 396592
Oxfordshire Community Land Trusts
www.oxfordshirecommunitylandtrusts.org.uk



Bob Paterson, Project Director
Community Finance Solutions
School of ESPaCH University of Salford
Room 214 Crescent House
Salford
M5 4WT
Tel 0161 295 4454; fax 0161 295 2835

Capturing Value for Rural Communities
National Best Practice Project

Outline Agenda for Workshop

Tuesday 16th November 2004

Venue: - Oxford, Swindon and Gloucester Co-op, New Barclay House, 234  
Botley Road, Oxford, OX2 0HP

09.30	Arrivals and coffee
10.00	Opening and welcome: Jock Coats/Fran Ryan Oxfordshire Community  
Land Trusts
	Introduction: Bob Paterson, Community Finance Solutions, University of  
Salford
Chair: Edie Szép, Chief Executive Cherwell Housing Association
10.30	Local experience: aims; successes; problems; lessons for the  
future; suggestions for others (including break for coffee)
Stonesfield Community Trust
Housing Association Representative
Rural Housing Enabler – bringing land and property into housing use.
Other initiatives e.g. Andrew Wood, East Oxfordshire Housing  
Initiative. Sonja Lutticken, Credit Union Development
11.30	Experience from elsewhere
US approaches – Pat Conaty NEF
Regeneration Trusts – Steve Bendle
High Bickington – Bob Paterson
13.00	Lunch
14.00 	Small groups examine three topics:
Affordable Housing (Bob Paterson)
Property assets: housing, community and workspace (Steve Bendle)
Legal and financial issues (Pat Conaty)
15.00 	Feedback
15.30	Discussion: How can this approach be taken forward in Oxfordshire  
and what tools and methods would be most effective?
16.00	Summing up
16.15	Close

Capturing Value for Rural Communities a National Best Practice Project  
Funded by the Housing Corporation, Countryside Agency and New Economics  
Foundation


--
Jock Coats, Oxfordshire Community Land Trusts
c/o Wardens' Lodgings, J1e Morrell Hall, OXFORD OX3 0TU
h: +44 1865 485019 w: +44 1865 483353 m: +44 7769 695767
e: jock.coats at oxfordshirecommunitylandtrusts.org.uk
w: http://www.oxfordshirecommunitylandtrusts.org.uk/


--
J1e Morrell Hall, OXFORD, OX3 0BP, United Kingdom
T: +44 1865 485019 F: +44 845 1275714 M: +44 7769 695767