At the southern tip of Suffolk

The beautiful village of East Bergholt is located at the southern tip of Suffolk in the Babergh District. We’re well known as the birthplace of painter John Constable and have many other historic connections, such as the unique bell cage at Saint Mary’s Church. Many of the families located in East Bergholt have been here for generations, which explains why we are so passionate about our village.

In September 2016, the residents of East Bergholt developed a neighbourhood plan. This created a set of planning guidelines that should be taken into consideration when new building takes place in the village. Currently going through a major update, the original plan dictated that individual developments should not be bigger than 15 houses. Residents had been campaigning for years against large-scale development. The role of the neighbourhood plan is to enable them to only accept buildings that meet locally determined needs.

The neighbourhood plan received almost unanimous support from residents across the village, and as one of many objectives, it was proposed that a Community Land Trust (CLT) be set up.  Principally, the CLT was set up to ensure the development of homes for people who couldn’t afford to live in East Bergholt – namely residents, or those with a historical connection to the village.

The first trustees of the CLT were parish councillors and other people active in the village. The ethos of a CLT is grounded in the community they are serving, with any development needing to be accepted by that community. CLTs may become significant builders of housing in the future, because they are most accepted by the communities. CLTs offer an opportunity to establish new, creative, locally driven and managed housing. 

In 2018, the East Bergholt CLT began actively working with individuals within the community who needed affordable housing. Today, 160 individuals in the village are shareholders, having paid £1. They own the company and elect the trustees. All of our trustees are volunteers living in East Bergholt.