Investing in ChaCo
Stonelaying ceremony 19 July 2019. Photo Barry White
In order to build the development and undertake our project, we needed to raise a total of around £5.3 million. That’s a huge sum for a community group and has meant creating a jigsaw of funding, including capital from members, a £2 million development loan from Ecology Building Society, a £1 million development loan from Leeds City Council, grants from the Housing Infrastructure Fund, a loan from the Government’s Help to Buy Shared Ownership Programme and, of course, loanstock from community members in Leeds and around the country.
We have already raised over £600,000 in loanstock through our previous offer documents. This was absolutely crucial in enabling us to obtain planning permission, to purchase the site and to start building. It also clearly demonstrated to us and to our other funders that there are many community-minded people willing and able to invest in a project of this sort.
We have had people who missed those earlier loanstock offers contact us asking if we are looking for any further investment. The answer is yes! In fact we could really do with your help as some of our original loanstock is just about ready to be repaid.
Our latest loanstock offer – March 2020
Once the houses are built, we will continue to rely on loans for many years, and since we believe in community funding we’d like as much of that as possible to come from loanstock. That’s why we are launching this latest round. Money raised through this offer is particularly aimed at our longer-term need. We have negotiated a 25-year mortgage with Ecology Building Society but, alongside that, we are looking to maintain our current level of loanstock for about 10 years. Some of our original investors have indicated that they will extend their current loans, while others will withdraw their money once the build is complete. We are now looking for people who can invest for 4 – 10 years.
This loanstock issue provides a great opportunity for people who want to invest in a way that makes a difference. The investment offers both a social and a financial return – transforming lives by creating a thriving community in one of the most deprived areas of the country, whilst offering investors a market interest rate of up to 4% per year.
- You lend us some money
- We build affordable homes
- You earn interest each year
- We pay you back after 4 years or more
Be part of something amazing!
To support our project and be a catalyst for change in our community please download our full Loanstock Offer document (PDF 556KB) and check out all the terms and conditions. The form at the end is also available as a Word document (26KB).
Complete and sign the form, and return it to:
The Treasurer
Chapeltown Cohousing
115 Spencer Place
Leeds
LS7 4DU
Alternatively, you can print, sign, scan and email it back to .
Thank you!
