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01/10/2009
ACCENT NENE SUPPORTS RURAL COMMUNITIES
Peterborough-based housing association Accent Nene is increasing the supply of affordable rural housing and playing a key role in supporting local communities.
The government announced plans in August to ‘safeguard’ affordable rural homes for future generations of first time buyers. With the aim of building between 20 and 40 new rural homes a year, Accent Nene is doing its bit to help.
The association is developing new homes on ‘exception’ sites in local villages – land that would not be granted planning consent for normal housing development but can be used to build low cost homes for rent or part purchase. Accent Nene then ensures that the homes remain available as low cost properties for future generations by legal measures preventing them being sold on the open market.
The National Housing Federation (NHF) reports that there is a serious shortage of affordable housing in rural villages. Families on modest incomes that have lived in the same village for generations are being priced out of the market by rising house prices and having to leave.
Shops – the heart of village life – are closing at an alarming rate with the Rural Shops Alliance estimating that 33 village shops could go out of business each month. Figures are equally alarming from the British Beer and Pub Association, which estimates that 54 country pubs could close every month if current trends continue.
Matthew Taylor MP, who recently produced the Taylor Review into rural housing, said: "Rural villages will die if the people who work in local shops, farms and businesses can no longer afford to live there. The move to ensure affordable homes for local people stay affordable in the long term is vital for many villages."
Accent Nene, by offering affordable housing in rural locations, provides the opportunity for local people to be able to afford to live there. This in turn will increase demand for local amenities such as small local shops, providing the potential for the rural community to thrive.
Accent Nene’s most recent rural schemes include 12 rented homes in the village of Duxford near Cambridge, ten homes (a mix of rent and shared ownership) in Buckden near St Neots, Cambridgeshire, two flats in the village of Hilton near Huntingdon, seven new homes in Barrowden near Stamford and two stone bungalows at Tinwell near Stamford.
Accent Nene has recently taken handover of the first of the completed properties of a redevelopment it is undertaking in the village of Fulbourn in Cambridgeshire. The estate is being redeveloped to increase the supply of affordable housing in the village, with new homes being let to existing residents and residents with a village connection.
Pauline Gardner, regional housing manager at Accent Nene, explains: “We aim to make a difference to village life for those who are not in a home provided by Accent Nene. For example, we have supported the local community at Barrowden (near Stamford) by obtaining an Accent on Giving Grant to help support the village shop.”
By doing more than simply building new homes, Accent Nene is working to rebuild rural communities – it is injecting a new lease of life into villages where it is most needed and is ensuring that people who wish to live in the villages they grew up in, are working in or have a strong family connection to, get the chance to do so.
Pauline Gardner concludes: “By building affordable housing in rural areas Accent Nene is able to welcome people back to the villages they grew up in and is helping to restore village life.”
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20/08/2009
£1,000 FUNDING IS UP FOR GRABS
The Accent Nene Community Award has a £1,000 available, to be given to worthy causes. It doesn’t matter how big or small the project is as long as your project has an income of less than £10,000 per annum.
The Community Award wants to support activities that help bring communities together, make lives better and benefit the community.
Last year’s winner of the Accent Nene Community Award, Pat Murray from the face2face scheme, said that the money received was used towards the training of the volunteer befrienders (pictured in the photograph). As parents of disabled children themselves, they support other parents and carers that are in a similar situation in the community, by sharing their personal experiences to help others come to terms with their child’s disability and provide practical help with issues such as how to access funding.
The application process is simple. For an application form and further details of the award scheme please contact: Natasha Chilcot, assistant resident involvement officer, Accent Nene, 57 Lincoln Road, Peterborough, PE1 2RR
Tel 01733 295478 or email natasha.chilcot@accentnene.org
Applications need to be received by Friday 23 October 2009.
Notes to Editors
1. Accent Nene Ltd is a Registered Social Landlord (RSL). The main office is in Peterborough and there are local management offices in Nottingham and Fulbourn. Accent Nene has been an active social housing provider in the Eastern Region for over 35 years.
2. What is now Accent Nene was formerly Nene Housing Society. It became a member of Accent Group in January 2005. Accent is one of the UK's leading community investment businesses.
3. Accent Nene operates in the East Midlands and East Anglia. It provides a range of social housing and manages around 4,000 rented and leasehold homes mainly in the Peterborough, Nottinghamshire and Cambridgeshire areas.
4. Accent Nene aims to provide high quality, affordable homes for rent or purchase on an equity share basis for those in housing need. It helps single people, couples, families, elderly and disabled people and some special needs groups such as deaf/blind people.
5. The Accent Nene Community Award was formerly known as the Thelma Lewis Award.
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20/08/2009
MAKE MARCH CLEANER
As part of the Fenland District Council ‘Street Pride’ campaign – ‘Let’s make March cleaner, safer and greener for residents’ - Fenland District Council and Accent Nene Ltd are working in partnership to help make improvements to the estate of Yarrow Close, March.
Recently, a large number of residents, young and old, Accent Nene, the local PCSO and staff from Fenland District Council all joined forces for the day and got to work on a range of activities such as, painting fences, tidying up and replanting communal gardens and trimming trees and bushes. Two free skips were provided to give residents the opportunity to get rid of any large or difficult to dispose of rubbish.
Miss Tuck, a resident of Yarrow Close, said: “I feel that the event was really worthwhile, there were lots of items of rubbish etc taken away and the fence painting and planting has made the scheme look a lot tidier. It was great to see the young people getting involved”.
Stephanie Perrin, housing officer, said “It was a good opportunity for us to encourage the residents to work together to improve their community”.
Accent Nene donated £500 towards the event which bought the paint, plants and refreshments for the helpers.
Everyone agreed that the event helped make the estate look cleaner, safer and greener.
Notes to Editors
1. Accent Nene Ltd is a Registered Social Landlord (RSL). The main office is in Peterborough and there are local management offices in Nottingham and Fulbourn. Accent Nene has been an active social housing provider in the Eastern Region for over 35 years.
2. What is now Accent Nene was formerly Nene Housing Society. It became a member of Accent Group in January 2005. Accent is one of the UK's leading community investment businesses.
3. Accent Nene operates in the East Midlands and East Anglia. It provides a range of social housing and manages around 4,000 rented and leasehold homes mainly in the Peterborough, Nottinghamshire and Cambridgeshire areas.
4. Accent Nene aims to provide high quality, affordable homes for rent or purchase on an equity share basis for those in housing need. It helps single people, couples, families, elderly and disabled people and some special needs groups such as deaf/blind people.
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