10 Year Regeneration Vision realised
Residents held a fun day to celebrate the completion of a £12.3 million regeneration project which has transformed an area of Chester into a cohesive community.
The Treborth Road Residents’ Association (TASC 2000) held the fun day, which included face painting for children, at the play area in Dinas Close, Blacon. This was a chance for residents to meet their new neighbours and celebrate their new community at Chester & District Housing Trust’s (CDHT) Chester Point development.
Ten years ago, Treborth Road in Blacon had problems with anti-social behaviour, drugs and unemployment which led to the foundation of TASC 2000. Residents joined the group to highlight the problems being experienced on a daily basis. Through the continuous campaigning by TASC 2000, CDHT implemented a programme to re-house all existing residents in the three-storey flats which were a magnet for the anti-social problems. In addition to re-housing residents, CDHT Officers began working with TASC to design a scheme that would regenerate this area of Blacon. After a successful grant application to the Housing Corporation, March 2007 saw the start of the regeneration with 15 blocks of flats demolished, paving the way for the Chester Point development. Working in partnership with Cheshire West & Chester Council and affordable housing developer Lovell, the scheme design ensured that all aspects of available land were used to their full capacity to create a sustainable community for its existing and new residents.
Following the demolition of 162 properties, building work began on the mixture of sale, shared ownership and rented properties at Chester Point in July 2007. Chester Point includes 156 new homes, consisting of two, three and four-bed homes, two-bed apartments and two-bed bungalows, a play area and open spaces. There is also a ‘Homezone’ area where the street is equally shared with pedestrians, cyclists and motorists increasing pedestrian safety.
John Denny, Chief Executive of CDHT, said:
“This was a fantastic celebration of a long-term project that has totally transformed an area of Blacon, one of the 10 largest housing estates in Europe. I remember a residents meeting in November 2005 at Blacon library, when I had just taken over as Chief Executive of CDHT. There were a lot of angry residents there, who rightly wanted change in an area that had its problems. With the Chester Point development we have delivered what we promised, with the help of partner organsations. All of the homes are extremely energy efficient and spacious and I know that this area is going from strength-to-strength because we have stayed with our commitment to place residents at the centre of everything we do.”
Liz Kent, Chairman of TASC and CDHT Customer Services Advisor, has lived in Treborth Road for 36 years. Liz added:
“This area has been totally turned around and now has a really good mix of people, who have applied to live in homes in Treborth Road, rather than been allocated housing. Ten years ago no-one wanted to live here, but now there’s a waiting list. This is a wonderful development – I haven’t heard anyone who’s living in the area say a bad thing about this. The residents have been involved in every step of the design of the buildings, which are so well insulated now, with eco-heating which is cheap to run. The properties have been finished to very high standards.
Ten years ago, we approached Christine Russell and Cllr Marie Nelson to help us. John Denny promised us things would change for the better here and he has delivered. Lovells have been very good – a good developer and very considerate and accommodating. We have had a good housing officer in Alison Whitehead who helps everything to run smoothly and Paul J Knight of CDHT has been fantastic.”
The development, which has been created in partnership between CDHT and Lovell, won the Local Authority Building Control Built in Quality Award for Best Housing Project in recognition of the high standards of construction and workmanship.
TASC, who meet once a month, is looking to recruit new members and for more info call Liz Kent on: 0808 1007701.
Ends: 679 words
For more information and photos please visit:
http://www.marketingprojects.co.uk/clientpo/chester-district-housing-trust
CAPTIONS:
01: Some of the members of the team that made the dream a reality celebrate with a cake at the Treborth Road Fun Day in Blacon, Chester. LtoR: Carole Willis, TASC 2000 committee member, Liz Kent, chair of TASC, Danielle Harrison, Senior Development Officer at CDHT and Cllr Marie Nelson.
02: Children enjoying the face painting at the Treborth Road Fun Day in Blacon. LtoR top row: Russell Harrison, Stephen Snake, Clara Sapinska, Tymek Krasinski. Middle: Carlton Welch. Bottom: Ceyhan Karabacak, Alesha Karabacak, Natalia & Maja Borciuch.
03: Quite a turn out at the Fun Day.
04: The new play area at the Fun Day.
Notes to editors
Chester & District Housing Trust (CDHT) is a dynamic and enterprising organisation at the forefront of delivering positive impacts in the communities with which it works. The Trust’s homes span six communities – Blacon North; Blacon South; Chester City Area; The Rurals; Lache and Handbridge; Upton, Hoole, Newton and Plas Newton.
Committed to the best principles of social enterprise with over 14,000 local customers in 6,200 properties and 53% of its 275 colleagues living within its communities, the Trust adheres to key commitments and principles relating to people, places, partnerships and performance which underpin the Vision to ‘create opportunity’, through its mission, ‘by doing the right thing’.
The Trust is about being transparent and accountable in everything that is done and to this end is one of the first organisations nationally to have established a Residents’ Board, with full delegated powers from the Trust Board, to direct services which impact upon their lives.
The Trust has a comprehensive development programme delivering over 330 new homes including the £12million regeneration of the Treborth Road area of Chester providing new homes for rent, sale and shared ownership, as well as a village green and wildlife habitats.
CDHT also provides services on a partnership basis, to a number of other customers e.g. Telecare services, TrustWorks Maintenance Services, Housing Options advice, waiting list management and choice based lettings to neighbouring local authorities and registered social landlords.
The Trust is rated as two Star excellent by the Audit Commission, has the highest possible rating from Telecare Services Association and is also credited Investors in People and is the overall Employer of the Year For Cheshire West. It has been in the ‘Top 100 Sunday Times best companies to work for’ for the last 3 years, reaching its highest position of 47th this year.
For more details please visit www.cdht.org or request a copy of CDHT’s Corporate Plan 2009-2014.
CDHT Press Contacts: Phil Brotherhood
E: phil@marketingprojects.co.uk M: 07884 493370
Jane Harrad-Roberts
E: jane@marketingprojects.co.uk M: 07785 395705
W: www.marketingprojects.co.uk T: 01244 330000
Return to Chester & District Housing Trust listings
> Return to Client Press Office
