Levens Community Project

Levens’ Jubilee Orchard is starting to take shape at Underhill, with the first apple and pear trees now planted thanks to local volunteers and grant funding from Westmorland and Furness Council. More trees, including local damson varieties, will follow in the autumn — part of a long-term plan to create a thriving community space for the village.

At the new village hall site, the project progresses, albeit steadily, towards the construction phase. Summary: village hall costs cut to match funds, affordable housing still in limbo.

At present, the Project is deeply engaged in the procurement process whereby a contractor will be appointed to take on the build phase for the new village hall and the affordable houses.

In the previous issue, the project was pleased to report that it had issued invitations to tender to several building contractors for the construction phase for the new village hall and the affordable houses. That process has gone well and each of the five contractors approached has submitted quotes for consideration.

Exciting news from the Project as invitations to tender (ITTs) for the construction phase of the new Village Hall, and the affordable houses at Underhill have just been issued to a number of building contractors.

Financing the project has always been a key priority in the minds of those tasked with delivering it, and so far it has been extraordinarily successful in generating the funds necessary to realise its objectives.

Groundworks and initial infrastructure work on the four affordable houses at Underhill have now been completed (pictured above). This has been funded primarily from the Community Led Housing Fund (a Government fund administered by SLDC) which awarded £249,235 to the Underhill work.

The last remaining self-build plot at Cotes, Levens is on the market at £175,000. This is plot number 1, which is the northernmost plot nearest to Wayside Cottage with a deceptively large area of land stretching up to the east.

As reported previously it was always anticipated that work at the new Village Hall site was unlikely to progress until the Autumn, so it is good to report that work has indeed recommenced. Now the site has been levelled and cut-back to its perimeter, and following a competitive tendering exercise to identify and appoint a contractor, this next phase of physical work is the construction of the perimeter walls.

Progress with the Project continues in a positive way: the ground preparation (or infrastructure) work at Underhill has gone well and is nearly finished, including the diversion of the mains sewer in liaison with United Utilities.

Many residents will have noticed the commencement of work at Underhill where groundworks are underway prior to the construction of 4 affordable units (2 two-bedroomed and 2 three-bedroomed houses). Current works are being undertaken with the assistance of grants from the Community Led Housing Fund managed by SLDC.