Acha Annual Update
Argyll and Bute Council · 5 December 2023
Back to Bute and Cowal Area Committee — 5 December 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Update to Argyll and Bute Council Bute and Cowal Area Committee Michelle Mundie Chief Executive 5th December 2023 1
Page 2
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Investment programme in Bute and Cowal 2023/2024 2 Bute and Cowal Element Actual numbers Windows and Doors 30 Kitchens and Bathrooms 19 Heating and Rewire 34 Roof and Roughcast 85 Refurbishment 0 Total 168
Page 3
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Windows and Doors Extensive programmes in previous years have been carried out with the result that the programme for last year and this year is targeting any fails we have identified as part of our stock condition survey. In line with the new energy efficiency standards we are fitting triple glazed windows as standard. 3
Page 4
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Kitchens & Bathrooms Again substantial work has been carried out in previous years to install new kitchens and bathrooms. This year we are installing new kitchens and bathrooms and adapted bathrooms across the area as required. 4
Page 5
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Adaptations Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) have been successful is obtaining £450,000.00 in Scottish Government Grant to allow us to progress essential aids and adaptations for our most vulnerable customers across Argyll and Bute. In Cowal and Bute we have recently completed 60 adaptations to assist our customers sustain their tenancies and increase their enjoyment of their home. Another 48 adaptations are planned for this year. 5
Page 6
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Exemplar Estates ACHA has committed £300,000 per year through Our “Exemplar Estates” initiative to improve the environment in and around our properties. The works planned for Cowal and Bute this year are : • Finbracken, Dunoon; and • Shuna Gardens, Dunoon 6
Page 7
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” BEIS – Whole House Retrofit Programme Shuna Gardens Before and After the Works 7 We have retrofitted 27 houses in Cowal and Bute as part of this programme.
Page 8
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Net Zero Fund – EWI, Heating and Other Measures Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) have been successful in securing £1.33 million of funding through the Scottish Governments Net Zero Fund for a project which is currently on site at High Street/Russel Street on the Isle of Bute. This project will be delivered in partnership with ProCast. ACHA are investing a further £1.33 million match funding to the project. The flats within the block will benefit from an open living room/ kitchen space, air source heating, new windows and doors, kitchen and bathroom upgrade. External Wall insulation will also be carried out on the block along side a new roof. Warm Homes – HEEPS Over the last year we have been on site in Cowal and Bute we are aiming to assist 153 households (including private owners) with measures such as External Wall Insulation; Air Source Heat Pumps; Solar PV and Doors and Windows. 8
Page 9
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Air Source Heat Pumps We have over a number of years installed a total of 140 Air Source Heat Pumps in the Cowal and Bute Area. 9
Page 10
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” New Build Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) has just completed 4 new homes for special needs at Eton Avenue, Dunoon. The site in the centre of Dunoon previously housed buildings which had reached the end of their useful life, and were demolished by the Association leaving the site available for the 4 new homes. The £1.46m development was delivered through a funding partnership between the Scottish Government, Argyll and Bute Council and ACHA, and the properties were built by local builder, John Brown (Strone) Ltd. The new development comprises of 1 x two-bedroom bungalow, 1 x three-bedroom bungalow which is suitable for wheelchair use, and 2 x four-bedroom detached houses. Three of the properties were designed to meet the particular needs of families on the housing waiting list, and all the homes have been designed to the Scottish Government’s greener standard which includes the provision of air source heat pumps, providing a higher standard of energy efficiency.
Page 11
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Eton Avenue (Before) 11
Page 12
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Eton Avenue (After) 12
Page 13
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” 13 Eton Avenue - internal
Page 14
Putting our Tenants and our Communities First Welfare Rights ACHA’s Welfare Rights service has produced the following results in the period since the 1st April 2023: 14 Area Total Income Number of Clients Lomond £ 565,190.68 224 Oban Lorn & the Isles £ 595,473.65 232 Mid Argyll & Kintyre £ 540,661.87 228 Cowal & Bute £ 550,114.60 247 Totals £2,251,440.80 931
Page 15
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Other Updates • Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) was successful in obtaining Lottery Funding (Warm & Well Argyll & Bute) of £20,000.00 for the provision of air fryers, slow cookers, electric blankets, winter duvets, microwave, thermal curtains etc.This funding allowed us to provide assistance to 88 of our most vulnerable customers in Cowal and Bute with the provision of 78 air fryers and 10 electric blankets. The project was designed to offer customers benefit advice as well as small appliances and other household items to help reduce energy costs. 15
Page 16
Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Other Updates • Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) has recently been successful in attracting addition funding of £28,475.00 via the Scottish Governments Social Housing Fuel Support Fund which will allow us to reach out to more vulnerable customers to offer them similar support to the above. 16
Page 17
Other Updates Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” 17 2023 Scotland Housing Awards 27th October 2023 Argyll Community Housing Association is delighted to announce that their Tenant Scrutiny Group the “Your Voice Group” won the Excellence in Tenant Scrutiny Award and their Warm Homes Team won the Net Zero in Housing award for their Whole House Retrofit Project at the Chartered Institute of Housing’s Scotland Housing Awards 2023. The Tenant Scrutiny award is for landlords and their tenants who can show excellence in working collaboratively to scrutinise work and embed scrutiny within the culture of the organisation. The Your Voice Group are a Group of tenants from across the Argyll & Bute area who take an in-depth look at ACHA’s housing services, identifying areas where they think things might be improved or changed. The Net Zero Housing award recognises partnership work with the contractor, Procast, to deliver whole house retrofit upgrades to properties across various locations in Argyll, including the islands of Islay and Tiree. The project forms part of ACHA's long-term journey to net zero and climate change with the residents being at the forefront.
Page 18
Other Updates Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” 18 Pictured From left to right: Kirsty Wells, Housemark, Paul McLennan, Minister for Housing, Jennie Niven and Jane Lindsay, Your Voice Group Members, Yvonne Angus, ACHA, Callum Chomczuk, CIH Scotland. Pictured From left to right: Kirsty Wells, Housemark, Richard Turnock, Chief Executive, Riverclyde Homes, Claire Morrison, ACHA, Lachlan Wood, ACHA, Gina Gordon, ACHA , Callum Chomczuk, CIH Scotland.
Page 19
Other Updates Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” 19 Scottish Energy Efficiency Awards June 2023 Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) were nominated for two awards at this year’s Scottish Energy Efficiency Awards and were successful in winning the Regional Large Project of the Year category, along with receiving highly commended in the Regional Landlord/Housing Association of the Year category. The latest award follows on from previous success in both the Scottish and National awards and recognises the major investment and improvements the association has made over the last number of years. Photo: Lachlan Wood from Argyll Community Housing Association, (left) with Ashley Brown (centre) from Pas Safe Solutions who sponsored the Regional Large Scale Project of the Year and Kirstie Adams (right) from Pro-Cast, the contractor which nominated ACHA.
Page 20
Other Updates • ACHA’s 10 10 10 initiative; 11 schools in Argyll and Bute received an award in 2023. Dunoon Grammar, Kirn Primary and North Bute Primary were three of the successful schools. • ACHA’s Community Action Fund; we continue to welcome applications from all areas of Argyll and Bute for funding from the Community Action Fund. 13 registered charities have received an award from the fund of up to £500 so far in 2023/24, including Dunoon Burgh Hall Trust and Bute Island Radio, Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” 20