Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) - Annual Update
Argyll and Bute Council · 6 May 2025
Back to Bute and Cowal Area Community Planning Group — 6 May 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership Cowal & Bute Area Community Planning Group 1st April 2025 Argyll Community Housing Association – Annual Update 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide the Cowal and Bute Area Community Planning Group (CPG) with Argyll Community Housing Associations (ACHA) Annual Update. 2. Recommendations 2.1 The Area CPG are asked to note the content of this report. 3. Background 3.1 ACHA have given a commitment to provide an annual update on the work being undertaken by the Association. 4. Detail 4.1 Stock ACHA have a total of 5195 properties across Argyll and Bute. For the Cowal and Bute area this is broken down as follows: • Cowal – 882 • Bute – 437 We also have a total of 24 garage sites (19 in Cowal and 5 in Bute). 4.2 Regeneration Programme In order to upgrade our properties to meet the Energy Efficiency Standards for Social Housing set by the Scottish Government, a regeneration programme was carried out at 9 Glebe Terrace, 68 and 70 High St and 2 Russell Street in Bute. Some properties have been reconfigured and designed with a more modern layout, all received external wall insulation, air source heating systems, new windows, kitchens and bathrooms, and some now have solar panels fitted. All properties have been brought back into our letting pool and successfully re-let.
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Buying stock on the open market ACHA have support from Argyll & Bute Council to acquire ‘second hand’ stock that is for sale on the open market, if this is the most appropriate method of meeting housing need in a particular area. So far ACHA have been successful in acquiring properties in both the Bute and Cowal area. 4.3 Investment Programme 4.3.1 In previous years extensive programmes of investment have been carried out. This has resulted in the programme this year being targeted at any fails which have been identified as part of our stock condition survey. 4.3.2 For Cowal and Bute for the period of 2024-2025 we have carried out the following improvements: Windows and Doors – 9 Kitchens and Bathrooms - 21 Heating and Rewire – 42 4.4 Warm Homes Fund 4.4.1 Our warm homes fund through various projects has continued to replace inefficient electric heating and install external wall insulation and for some properties solar panels. 4.4.2 The uninsulated project - This project involves installing External Wall Insulation to properties where we have installed Air Source Heating in a previous project. There are 3 properties that were affected and works completed in Cowal. 4.4.3 EEPS/ABS Project – External Wall Insulation to multi tenure blocks. 11 properties were insulated in Bute through this project. 4.4.4 Solar PV and Battery - This project involved installing solar panels and some properties with batteries, through this project we have installed 29 across Cowal and 22 across Bute properties. 4.4.5 Air Source Heat Pumps – Air Source heat pumps were installed at 29 properties across Cowal and Bute. 4.5 Sheltered Housing 4.5.1 ACHA is currently reviewing its Sheltered Housing Service. We have carried out a comprehensive consultation with our sheltered housing residents. The review is being carried out in phases and will take account of our tenant’s views and preferences. Phases 1 and 2 have been completed and our more traditional sheltered housing
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complex at Ferfadd Court is part of Phase 3 along with Cragroy and Wallace court in Dunoon which is currently ongoing. 4.5.2 The aim of the review is to: • Provide a bespoke service for our tenants over 60 in mainstream accommodation as well as sheltered housing. • Reclassify sheltered housing to remove stigma and make the best use of housing stock • Change workload dynamics to release capacity • De-register with the Care Inspectorate. Changes have been made from phases 1 and 2, it is anticipated that the changes from phase 3 will take place from June 2025. 4.6 Allocations & Reletting of Properties ACHA are part of the HOME Argyll partnership (Housing Options Made Easy), along with Argyll & Bute Council, West Highland Housing Association, Fyne Homes and Dunbritton Housing Association. We currently have just over 3,300 applicants on our house waiting lists. 4.7 Exemplar Estates ACHA has committed £300,000 per year through our Exemplar Estates initiative to improve the environment in and around our properties. Works planned budget permitting for the Cowal and Bute area this year include:- • Dixon Avenue, Dunoon • Barone, Bute 4.8 Estate Walkabouts During 2024 ACHA introduced Estate Walkabouts for all areas. This is where we invite our residents and any other interested parties to join our staff on Estate Inspections to give their ideas and improvements for the neighbourhoods in which they live. The dates of Estate Walkabouts for the different areas are advertised on our website under Estate Management and Facebook, we would encourage anyone who is interested to participate. 4.9 Customer Involvement Strategy The Customer Involvement Strategy 2024-2029 has been designed to highlight the range of opportunities to become involved at a level which best suits our customers. Our Ambition through the life of this strategy is to encourage more customers to engage effectively and help us to challenge, change and improve how we operate and deliver services. Some examples of Customer Involvement during 2024-2025:
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Monthly Drop Ins: monthly drop in sessions have now been set up in Cowal and Bute in partnership with Live Argyll and ARC, dates and timings are advertised by Live Argyll and ARC and on the ACHA website to advise when staff are will be attending and available to provide housing advice and assistance. ACHA’s 10 10 10 Initiative A total of 13 Schools in Argyll and Bute received an award in 2024/25 including Sandbank Primary, Innellan Primary and Toward Primary being successful in their applications for the Cowal and Bute area. ACHA’s Community Action Fund We continue to welcome applications for funding from the Community Action Fund. 35 awards made for 2024-25 including Dunoon Amateur Boxing Club, Dunoon Burgh Hall, Colintraive Village Hall and Kilmun Hall and Recreation Association. 4.10 Welfare Rights ACHA’s welfare rights service for Cowal and Bute has brought in a total of £995227.35 income between since 1st April 2024 to 20th February 2025. All ACHA tenants are offered an appointment with our Welfare Rights Officers. Argyll community Housing was successful in working with the HACT project in obtaining funding to assist our tenants with utility costs, and for 2024-25 achieved £104324.00 overall of which £11726 was achieved for Cowal and Bute tenants. 4.11 Adaptations ACHA have been successful in obtaining £247,500.00 in Scottish Government grant for 2024-25 and a further award of £35,000 at the beginning of March 2025, this allowed us to progress essential aids and adaptations for our most vulnerable customers. In Cowal and Bute we have recently completed 74 adaptations with a further 09 planned but not yet completed, we also have 16 adaptations on hold due to a lack of budget. 4.12 Scotland Housing Awards 2024 ACHA are delighted to announce that we successfully made the shortlisted for Scotland Housing Awards 2024 for the category of Working in Partnership, this was for our new builds project in Eton Avenue, Dunoon, for working together with Argyll and Bute Occupational therapists, architects and building contractors to produce homes that improved the everyday lives of some of our tenants.
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5. Conclusions ACHA is continuing to meet its targets and priorities within local Strategies. 6. SOA Outcomes Reference to Outcomes 5 – People Live Active, Healthier and Independent Lives Name of Lead Officer Melony MacLean, Local Manager, Argyll Community Housing Association For further information please contact: Melony MacLean, Local Manager, Argyll Community Housing Association Tel 01546 605 950 Email melony.maclean@acha.co.uk