December 2007

CCHA Wins National Housing Award For ‘Outstanding Achievement In Wales’
 
“An Imaginative and Trailblazing Scheme”

Partnership with Council Vital Part of CCHA’s Success

We’re delighted to announce that we have won a major housing award for our work at Aquila and Galleon Way in Cardiff Bay. The Chartered Institute of Housing UK Housing Awards 2007-08 – the ‘Oscars’ of the housing world were held at the London Hilton, Park Lane on 8th November 2007. From what the Judges described as an “impressive crop of Welsh entries” our ‘High Rise Housing in Cardiff Bay Project’ was declared the stand-out entry and the winner in the ‘Outstanding Achievement in Housing in Wales’ category. The Judges praised the project for “tackling the shortage of housing in an imaginative and trailblazing way."

Kelvin MacDonald, the Acting Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute commended the scheme as “an innovative scheme which appears to draw together effective practice in lettings policy, partnership working, grant and financing regimes, design and integration.

Naturally we’re thrilled to have won the award – for CCHA the schemes represent three years work. That’s also the case for our colleagues at Cardiff Council who worked with us throughout and were vital to the success of the project – without the partnership with the Council, Aquila and Galleon would not have been possible. Now the work really starts – as we want Aquila and Galleon to be fine places for people to live for years to come!

That’s our duty both to the residents of these schemes and our tenants generally.

More Praise for CCHA

Awards are a bit like the old saying about London busses – you wait for ages for one to come along and then they arrive in twos and threes. So, it proved at the UK Housing Awards. Not only did CCHA win the Outstanding Achievement Award we also shared in Taff HA’s award in the ‘Developing Skills and Capacity’ category for the ‘Pathways Series’.

In recognition of our contribution to this imaginative initiative, Taff identified CCHA and Cadwyn HA as their partners in this project. We’ve worked closely with Cadwyn and Taff over many years on several different projects and we thank Taff for including us.

Superb New Low-Cost Apartments For Sale And Rent Available In Splott – Now!

The full details of our new 20 apartment scheme, for sale and rent, are available at www.myplaceinthebay.co.uk right now! If you would like to own a home of your own, then these apartments could be for you. Prices for a 70% share are £81,200 for a 1 bed apartment and £91,000 for a 2 bed (subject to final valuation). The properties are bound to popular and there’s only ten available.

The properties are perfectly suited to single people or couples who want the convenience of apartment life, with the great amenities of the city centre and transport links on their doorstep.

So, if your working and earning a modest incomes and can’t get onto the property ladder in Cardiff because it is such a popular city and has become such an expensive property market, then these apartments could be for you. They are available to first-time buyers as well as people who are starting again following a change in personal circumstances or returning to home ownership after a gap.

Remember you only have to find a mortgage/deposit for the 70% figures noted above. We then provide you with a loan for the remaining percentage with nothing to be repaid until the property is sold.
 
For all the details go to www.myplaceinthebay.co.uk or:

To rent: 1 bed apartments only.

• Tel: 029 2046 8482
• E-mail: residential.management@ccha.org.uk.

To buy: 1 and 2 bed apartments.

• Tel: 029 2053 7366
• E-mail: LCHO@cardiff.gov.uk.

CCHA Tenant Welcomes Deputy Housing Minister To Her Home

CCHA tenant Holly Aldridge had the pleasure of inviting the new Deputy Housing Minister, Ms Jocelyn Davies, to her home recently. Ms Davies chose to use Aquila to launch the Assembly’s commitment to provide 6,500 new homes in Wales over the next four years.

Speaking from Holly’s apartment Ms Davies said that the Assembly will be providing a further £30m over the period increasing the resources for affordable housing to over £106.8m per year over the next three years. The money is to be used to provide new affordable housing for rent and low-cost home ownership.

For the full story of Ms Davies’s visit to Holly’s apartment please follow this link:

http://www.new.wales.gov.uk/news/presreleasearchive/1813871/?lang=en

We would like to thank Holly for all her help with the visit and for welcoming Ms Davies into her home.

Trowbridge Shops Open For Christmas

Phase 1 of the £6m regeneration of Trowbridge Shops is complete. Recently, we completed the parade of five new shops and handed them over to the Council. With four of the five units already let, hopes are high that the shops will be open for Christmas. We are working in partnership with Cardiff Council to redevelop the Trowbridge shops site.

• An excellent brand-new purpose-built community centre.
• 45 new homes to be built by CCHA (30 houses and 15 flats) to be let to those on the Council’s waiting list – our pictures show the first of the new apartments taking shape.

Local Councillor and resident, Ralph Cook, a long-term advocate of the scheme said in the Echo recently, “It has been an eight-year struggle, starting in 1989 when I did a survey and found that 75% of residents in Trowbridge wanted the shopping centre dealt with. From that day forward it has been one of my top priorities.”

Originally built in the 1960’s, the complex of shops and maisonettes has been in decline for sometime – crime, vandalism and anti-social behaviour have blighted the area and the lives of the local community.

We’re delighted to be part of this superb scheme, which will breathe new life into this area of Cardiff. The attractive shops, community centre and homes will be a major boost to the community.

To learn more anout our Development program Click Here.

And Finally … A Merry Christmas To All Our Readers

The staff, Board Members and the Tenant Representative Council would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and we hope that you enjoy your Christmas holiday.

CCHA will not be sending Christmas cards again this year; as we have now done for several years we will be making a donation to a housing-related charity.

Our offices will be closed from 4.30PM on Friday 21st December 2007 and will re-open at 9.00 am on Wednesday 2nd January 2008.

Over the holiday period you will be able to pay your rent at anytime by Clicking Here. If you prefer to pay rent in the office, please pay in advance in week commencing Monday 17th December 2007 for weeks beginning Monday 24th December 2007 and 31st January 2008.

• Emergency Repairs over the holiday period can be reached by ringing 01633 214222

and help will be immediately available. For more details on how to use this service, please see page 24 of your Tenants’ Handbook.

Please remember that this service should only be used in an emergency.

NEXT UPDATE: JANUARY 2008