Agenda item

Representatives from Knightstone will deliver a presentation to the Panel on their current and future development plans.

Mike Day, Director of Development & Home Ownership gave a presentation to the Panel on behalf of Knightstone. A copy of the presentation will be attached as an appendix to these minutes, a summary is set out below.

Knightstone Housing Association

·  Founded in 1975 - Heartland is now redefined as West of England and Somerset

·  12,000 homes in management – general rented, supported housing, low cost home ownership, open market housing for sale (Arc Homes)

·  Developer of new homes – 300 to 400 a year

·  £65 million turnover – 420 staff, 23,000 residents, 365 communities and neighbourhoods

Our Housing in B&NES

Second largest landlord in BANES behind Curo

·  General Needs : 654 homes

·  Supported Housing : 143 homes

·  Leaseholders : 84 homes

·  Service Charge Only : 76 homes

·  Total : 957 homes

(149 homes acquired from Spectrum Housing group in 2013)

City Centre Georgian Properties / New build estates and one off purchases.

Current Developments in B&NES

·  Alcan site in Midsomer Norton– 59 homes

·  Charlton Road Keynsham – 2 homes

·  Old Lane Farmborough – 4 homes

·  Bidding for: County Infants School, Radstock -20 homes

Supported Housing in B&NES

Rockhall House, The Paddocks and the Orchard

·  48 units of sheltered and extra care provision working closely with Sirona Care

·  Invested £1.5 million in the schemes last year

Pennard Court

·  35 unit mixed scheme for people with sensory impairment   and people with learning difficulties working closely with Action for Hearing Loss and Freeways

Various properties in Bath, Keynsham and Paulton

·  Working closely with Developing Health and Independence,  Dimensions, LIFE

Individual and Community Empowerment Investor

·  Because our purpose – creating better futures together – means more than being a great landlord, building new homes etc

·  We offer a hand up not a hand out and we help people and communities find their own solutions by working in partnership with us. A something for something deal – the ‘together’

Individual Empowerment

·  Support customers on a 1-1 basis throughout BANES to help sustain their tenancy

·  Troubled families initiative in Bath

Community Empowerment

·  Delivering Children’s play ranger activities – Newton Road, Twerton and Kaynton Mead

·  Community clean-up days

·  Door knock consultations

·  Clean Slate – debt , employment and personnel planning support

·  Combe Down Digital Inclusion Programme

Future Aspirations for B&NES

·  Develop more Homes at least 30 to 50 a year

·  Invest in our existing stock – new Asset Management Strategy

·  Rationalise some of our very expensive to maintain and live-in central Bath properties

·  Further invest in our communities and build capacity

What the Council can further do to assist us?

·  Resolve corporate tensions between wanting best value for land/properties and the provision of affordable housing.

    e.g. Living over the Shop Properties in central Bath

·  Speedier decisions on property disposals

·  Make more council land available for affordable housing.

·  Intervene on Section 106 bidding wars between RPs.

·  Assist where possible on Central Bath listed building planning restrictions on affordable housing.

·  Further assistance on rural exception sites where possible.

The Chair asked if they had a formal scheme for consulting with residents.

Mike Day replied that there was no formal scheme in place, but that various forums exist across their range of housing stock.

Councillor Gerry Curran asked if they would be interested in developing on larger sites.

Mike Day replied that they would be interested and have made bids for larger sites, but have not been successful.

The Chair thanked him for his presentation and attendance at the meeting on behalf of the Panel.