Levens Community Project - Spring 2024 update

Invitations to tender

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.

After years of planning, fund-raising and more recently ground clearance and preparation, this is a truly significant milestone in this remarkable community-led project.

Contractors have 6-weeks to respond to the ITT, at the end of which a selection process will identify the preferred contractor(s) and - critically - the build-costs associated with the developments.

The Project has done extraordinarily well in raising the funds required, with all but two of its plots of land successfully sold for self-build (and one of those currently under offer) and a number of grants secured. Costs have undoubtedly risen since the first estimates were prepared, however, and the Project has commissioned its own estimator to provide a guide of what to expect. This professionally sourced data will also enable the Project to prepare a bid for a significant sum to the Community Ownership Fund which will require robust financial information and evidence of cost management.