Bishop’s Castle & District Community Land Trust provides affordable housing for local people. It is a Community Interest Company with charitable status, owned by its shareholders and governed by a board of trustees.
Right now, we provide town-centre accommodation for four families, and we are working on our next development.
Our public face is the Stars shop on the High Street. We let Stars at affordable rates as a pop-up facility for local charities, artists and entrepreneurs.
What people say about us
'sold more than expected’
As a newcomer it was a great way to get my name out there and meet lots of people.
We sold more bicycles than I expected and had a very enjoyable time.
Many thanks to the Land Trust for such a valuable resource for the town.
Ratso Restorations will be back.
Alan Rich - Ratso Restorations
'consistently helpful’
It felt like we were running our own gallery, so could give time to visitors.
The facilities were ideal for staying there all day. The communication with the Trust and Enterprise House was consistently friendly and helpful.
We had a very successful show with sales exceeding our expectations and will definitely be re -booking next year.
Elaine Latham - Artist
'fulfilling our objective’
Thank you for having the foresight and energy to create such an excellent community facility.
Lightfoot had a very successful week with more than 120 visitors to learn more about our projects, and fulfilling our major objective of recruiting volunteers.
We believe this facility to be one of the best things to happen in Bishop’s Castle.
Mike Watkins - Lightfoot
What we do
The Trust started its first project in 2009. Architect Jonathan Greig designed 1 and 2 Kings Head Yard on land donated by him and his wife Clair.
The design incorporates extra insulation, triple glazing and heat recovery, and the project was built by Welshpool firm PYC Construction.
The two homes have proved to be a real asset to the town since their completion in 2012.
In 2019, with the aid of a generous legacy from local solicitor, Bill Bainbridge, the Trust bought 68-70 Church Street, a derelict ex-Stars newsagents shop in the centre of the town.
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A four year project brought it back to life, and the Stars community shop is now a thriving, popular hub.
Community groups and charities of all sorts hold coffee mornings and fundraising events here; and entrepreneurs and artists exhibit and sell their wares and their work.
The spaces above and behind the Stars shop were also renovated and converted into one single and one family flat by local building firm, Jukes & Sons.
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Various other local craftsmen and many volunteers were involved in the shop renovation and design.
How we do it
We are a society for the benefit of the Bishop’s Castle community, owned by our shareholder members, and supported by many more.
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As a small independent Trust, we don’t receive government funding, and our main source of income is derived from the rents we collect from our tenants and from our Stars community shop. We also welcome donations and legacies.
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We know how much our homes have made a positive difference to all those who have been given a roof over their heads since the completion of our projects in 2012 and 2024.
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The Trust couldn’t have done this without the backing of so many people, and we’ve been hugely supported and encouraged by the numerous positive comments. Thank you; you have all been so generous.
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Who we are
The Bishop’s Castle Community Land Trust is owned and managed by over 300 shareholders and governed by a voluntary board of local trustees, presently including one of our tenants, a retired solicitor, a chartered surveyor, local business owners, a town councillor, and a county councillor.
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Elections to the board are held every year. You do not have to be a shareholder to stand for election. We welcome enquiries from anyone interested in contributing to the work of the Trust.
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For more information please contact us.