What assistance can we give?

1) Community preparation and start-up

Start-up assistance is designed to assist community groups undertaking initial examination and planning of a proposed purchase or management agreement. Eligible costs include professional fees (legal, valuation and financial); study visits to other related projects; community consultation; and initial fund-raising costs.

Assistance level: Up to a normal maximum of 100 per cent of total project costs, with a ceiling of 2,000 assistance.

2) Professional fees for bid preparation or management agreement

• Legal services: constitutions, charitable status, advice on contracts, title deeds, leasing, management agreements, and property law insurance and protection against liabilities;
• Land services: valuation advice, audit, assessment and options appraisals of land assets and land industry businesses; land-use planning and management; preparation of conservation schemes and management and access agreements; preparation of schemes for forestry, agriculture, tourism and business development; fund raising;
• Planning and management assistance: feasibility analysis of land, assets and businesses; business planning; organisation and project management;
• Community participation: community mobilisation; group work; brokerage, facilitation and community agent skills development; building organisational capacity; networking and information exchange and visits; skills training; employment of part-time community agents;
• Management or contractual arrangements: drawing up of management agreements or contractual arrangements with existing land owners to manage land or land assets. Assistance will be in the form of legal and management advice and training.

Assistance level: Up to a normal maximum of 80 per cent of total project costs, with a ceiling of 10,000 assistance.

3) Land and asset acquisition

Communities can become involved in land management either through outright purchase of land or through different types of management agreements, contractual or leasing arrangements. Past assistance from the CLU towards the purchase of assets has generally been restricted to last brick in the wall contributions to complete a funding package. Community land grants are designed to assist communities to purchase areas of land or other fixed assets, usually adjacent to, within or containing their settlement. This could be an estate or other landholding portfolio including discrete buildings, development plots or other assets. Applicants have to comply with the basic criteria listed above, namely local community ownership and control, and demonstrable local economic, social and environmental benefit. The land to be purchased will be subject to an independent valuation.

A normal ceiling of 250,000 for mainstream community land projects and 100,000 for building projects will be applied to the HIE contribution.  Groups may be eligible for further funding via the BIG Lottery Growing Community Assets programme.

4) Post-acquisition development projects

Once a community-based organisation holds title to land, or has a management agreement with a landowner, an application may be made for post-purchase assistance for either revenue or capital costs.

Applications for revenue funding for project-management costs, may be made to the CLU for up to 25% of total costs over a three year period, with a normal ceiling of 10,000 financial assistance per year.

Applications for assistance towards capital costs should be made to the Local Enterprise Company. Such assistance would draw on the normal range of HIE Network programmes including business and community support and skills development. Work may include further detailed feasibility work, investment in infrastructure, training, marketing and implementation of projects on the land acquired. If unable to assist, the Local Enterprise Company will refer the case to the Community Land Unit for consideration. Applications should not be made to both the LEC and CLU for any one project.