The role of housing associations in successful community led housing projects

1. The role of housing
associations in successful
community led housing projects
Anna James
Project Manager (Empty Homes) Plus Dane Group

2. About Plus Dane Group
• One of the largest developing RPs in the North
West
• We own & manage over 18,000 homes across
Merseyside & Cheshire
• We are delivering 2,000 new homes by 2017
• We have a £150m development programme
• Heritage in co-operative movement in South
Liverpool

3. What we’ll talk about today
Empowering local communities……
• Case studies- How Plus Dane have responded
• Types of partnership
• Lessons learned

4. The bigger picture
• HMR legacy
• Reduced funding environment
• Challenges & opportunities
• Not the driving force but the supporter/facilitator

5. Granby 4 Streets
• Focus of sustained regeneration activity since 1970s
• Deep-rooted problems of housing market decline and poor
structural conditions
• 93.6% of the Princes Park ward in most 5% deprived nationally
• £50m funding for the area- Clusters of Empty Homes, Plus Dane,
LCC, HCA
• Granby CLT success in community asset transfer
• Homes for £1 pilot

6. The Vision

7. Committed Communities

8. Sensitive Refurbishment

9. Welsh Streets
• Plus Dane, LCC and local community working
together for over 10 years
• Identified need to create more housing choice
• Our proposals combine demolition, refurbishment
and new build – Public Enquiry result.
• Phase A: 189 homes (157 new build and 32 refurbs)
• Home-steading & public realm
• What next?

10. Welsh Streets

11. Kirkby- lets work together..!
A local community, an established co-operative
71 homes to be cleared

12. Kirkby
• 71 new homes, underpinning £200m regeneration
of Kirkby town centre
• Public private partnership: KMBC, Plus Dane,
Tesco, Cherryfield Co-op, local residents
• Existing homes: 52 Plus Dane & 19 Co-op
• Robust community engagement & sensitive
management of issues
• Responding to individual housing need and
aspiration
• Site cleared: Tesco pull out – What next?

13. Kirkby

14. South Cheshire Borders CLT
• PDG have funded a dedicated CLT officer
• Job to provide technical support with
feasibilities and business planning
• We support the officer through training,
monitor delivery and promote the concept to
communities
• Targets agreed to ensure CLT post is self
sustaining within 2/3years

15. Genuine partnership
What do Housing Associations bring?.....
• We bring capacity and resources across
development, finance, funding and
relationships with influential stakeholders
• We gain community buy-in, genuine
engagement, improved relationships and
understanding of local priorities

16. Genuine partnership
Communities are the real heart and drivers
for change…
• Communities bring expertise, passion,
creativity and real understanding of place
and priorities
• Communities gain capacity, resources and
high-profile support to make things
happen

17. Lessons learned
• Need for buy-in across all stakeholders
• Need to build trust between stakeholders
– shared vision
• Partners enable each other – shared
resources
• Don’t ignore the power of social media
• Communicate sensitively and robustly

18. Thank you