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About Us The
Story from 1991
Cernach Housing Association Limited operates in the Kingsridge Cleddans area of Drumchapel. The primary activity of the Association is acquisition, construction, improvement and management of houses at affordable cost for people in housing need. The Policy making body within the organisation is the Management Committee, all of whom are residents elected annual by the General membership at its Annual General Meeting. Staff are employed to guide and assist the Committee on policy matters and deal with the day-to-day running of the Association although it is the Management Committee who control the organisation. The Association first became a landlord on 28 July 1991, although the involvement of the local community started a long time before this date. It was during 1987 that the local residents formed a tenants group the Kells Inchrory Action Group, to protest at the general run down of the area and the poor condition of the housing stock. The group's main aim was to pressurise the District Council to carry out repairs, deal with dampness and ultimately modernise the properties. Towards the end of 1989 however it became apparent that the amount of money available was insufficient to tackle the severe housing problems. Glasgow District Council convened a public meeting to discuss with the residents the budget ear marked for the area and advised them that there was little likelihood of any improvement works being carried out. It was then the District Council put the idea of Community Ownership to the group. With the support of the District Council the group were allocated a Community Flat to enable the residents meet to explore the options open to them and learn what was involved in the transfer process. The Steering Group drew upon the experience and expertise of Rani Dhir, Southdeen Housing Co-operative, (now a recently appointed Board member of Scottish Homes) to structure their training to enable them attain the competence and knowledge to equip them for the challenges which lay ahead. After many months of meetings / training sessions with Rani and discussions with Glasgow District Council and Scottish Homes the group enlisted the support of the then Housing Convenor, Councillor Madge O'Neil and formed a Housing Co-operative. In 1990 Cernach was registered and on 28 July 1991 the 112 properties at Kells Place, Inchrory Place, Achamore Road and Kerfield Place were transferred to the Co-operative and the Co-operative began the task of managing and improving the properties. (During September 1999 however Cernach adopted the revised SFHA Model Rules and registered with Scottish Homes and the Registry of Friendly Societies as a Housing Association). A Community Flat became our first office and minor works were undertaken to enable the Co-operative to provide a reception and deal with our tenants in an efficient manner. Very soon after this in 1992 tenants were decanted to enable our first rehab contract to start. Due to the shortage of suitable decant accommodation tenants were decanted to City Council housing stock nearby and patiently watched their homes being transformed. Tenants were given the opportunity to exercise choice from a range of kitchen units, sanitary ware, decorative finish and choice of heating and returned to transformed homes some ten months later. 1993 saw the modernisation of
Inchrory Place being undertaken. This project was almost an exact replica
of Kells Place, The year also witnessed the start of our first new build
housing programme at Achamore Road, the first new build mainstream
rented housing to be built in Drumchapel in over 35 years. 1994 came and saw the completion of Achamore Road and Inchrory Place and a streetscape project being undertaken at KeIIs and Inchrory Place to follow on and complement the improvements to the houses. Although 1994 was a year of completions it was also a year of assessing our performance and making plans for the future. A ballot of tenants at Fettercairn / Katewell and 49 / 51 Achamore Road was held with the overwhelming majority voting in favour of the transfer. 1995 began with this
stock transferring to the Association and the start of our next new
build protect at Kerfield Place. The buildings are laid out in 2 blocks
along the access road serving the Achamore Road courtyard, and have
terraced housing set between end blocks of flats. At the extreme ends
the first floor flats have balconies With the support of Scottish Homes and Glasgow Development Agency work started on this scheme which the membership renamed Kingsmore Gardens towards the end of 1995. This included a demolition of houses along Fettercairn Avenue and Achamore Road, followed by the Design and Build of 110 houses for rent, sale and shared ownership. This project the first of its kind in Drumchapel, introduced Low Cost Home Ownership for the first time in the Kingsridge Cleddans area and shared ownership for the first time in Drumchapel. Within the site the housing for sale and rent are indistinguishable. 1996 a second phase of this development was undertaken providing a further 12 homes for shared ownership. Both projects attained Secured by Design accreditation, which was presented formally by the Chief of Police at the opening ceremony in February 1997. 1997 Such was the success of these projects that the Association invited Beazer Partnership Homes Limited to design and build a further 48 properties for the Association on the site of Fettercairn / Katewell Avenue. Demolition was undertaken September 1996 to beat the landfill tax. Works commenced on the replacement houses October 1997. This 48 unit project follows on and complements our earlier developments and will add a further 38 properties for rent and to shared ownership provision to our improved and new build housing stock. (The site previously accommodated four storey monolithic blocks at 39-51 Fettercairn Avenue. 34-44 Katewell Avenue and 59 Achamore Road). This project will on its completion complete the redevelopment of our first two stock transfer areas and will see the first of the tenants in our forthcoming third stock transfer re housed in new homes immediately upon transfer, a far cry from the cold damp houses they will leave behind. 1998 was a mixture of completions, new starts and planning for the future. Work commenced on 31st August on the former site of the community Education Building at Achamore Road. The prime objective for this development was to create a mixed development containing both mainstream rented, shared ownership and purpose built care in the Community accommodation to enable 6 residents to be discharged from Lennox Castle Hospital. Our principal aim for this project was to ensure within the scheme that the care housing and the mainstream housing were virtually indistinguishable. Whilst the Association progressed designs for this project, the Association also successfully marketed the shared ownership provision at Cairnwell Grove and made plans to relocate 48 tenants and sharing owners in this development upon its completion October 1998. Later this same year, following a ballot in which the overwhelming majority of tenants voted for, the stock and the tenants at 20-48 Achamore Road and 2-8 Lochgoin Avenue transferred to the Association The award from the RICS In the Urban Renewal category was given to Cernach Housing Association Limited and its partners November 1998 in recognition of the incredible social and visual impact of Kingsmore Gardens. The Association was extremely pleased and proud to receive this award which will serve as proof that with cooperation, commitment and sheer determination of all key players a common vision can be attained against all the odds. 1999 Over the past seven years through its development programme, Cernach Housing Association has dramatically changed the physical fabric of the Kingsridge area of Drumchapel by providing a wide range of housing in terms of size, type, design and tenure, never before witnessed in the Kingsridge area. The completion of Kingsmore Court on 28th February marked the completion of the 286th new home, producing a diversity of housing for rent, sale and for shared ownership never before witnessed in this area. These developments will stand as testimony as to what can be achieved when the community co-ordinates a multi agency approach to planning, developing and delivering a common vision. The prime objective of the Kingsmore Court project was to introduce for the first time, in our area Association purpose build supported accommodation, mainstream rent and shared ownership housing within a high quality suburban design with echoes of our earlier projects. Our main aim was to ensure within the scheme that the care housing and the mainstream housing were virtually indistinguishable. The creation of an interesting courtscape, unified by hard and soft landscaping features, together with the various integrated house forms has produced an imaginative, varied, and attractive micro village environment to follow on and complement the popular award winning development at Kingsmore Gardens It lies within. 2000. On 16th March 2000
the Association was recognized as an `Investor in People'. By gaining
recognition the Association signalled our Commitment to best practice
in managing people towards our business goals. In fact quote. 'The Assessor
finds that Cernach Housing Association meets the investor in People
Standard and indeed demonstrated several areas where it exceeded the
requirements of the National Standard.' Development work continued as
usual. 2001. Designs progressed for Achamore Road to provide 52 new build homes for rent and shared ownership. It is anticipated work will start on site later this year. At the time of writing. Cernach has submitted proposals to be considered as a Local Housing Organisation following the Glasgow City Council housing transfer, if this is successful. Our proposals relate to areas in or near to communities we already operate in and we hope that those tenants will consider Cernach as a Local Housing Organisation. As the Association approaches its 10th birthday it looks forward to the time ahead and the challenges that it will bring. The story continues .....
Jean McKinnon, Director
Cernach Housing Association
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