A new state-of-the-art play area was officially opened last week (9.7.10) on Whitchurch Way, Runcorn by the Mayor of Halton, Cllr Marie Wright.

The name of the play area, ‘Buddy’s Place’ was only revealed at the opening, following a competition for local children from Woodside Primary School. The winner, Frank Clare from year 3, was presented with a certificate at the opening and a donation was made to the school.

Cosmopolitan Housing Association has worked with the Halton Lodge Young Leaders Group and the local community to make the £130,000 revamp possible. Funding for the project came from Playbuilders (50k), Cosmopolitan (39k), Halton Borough Council (25k), Halton Youth Bank (11k) and Safer Housing Partnership (5k)

With the help of local organisations and lottery funded scheme, Playbuilders, the area has been transformed from an old BMX park to a state-of-the-art facility.

International play equipment providers, Proludic, carried out the main work on the playground whilst Monster Play were responsible for fitting the benches, bins and youth shelters.

Julie McNally, Resident Involvement Officer at Cosmopolitan, said: “We are delighted that Halton Lodge has this wonderful new facility which I am sure will bring hours of pleasure to local families. Cosmopolitan have gone to great lengths to consult local people about the transformation of the site and the result is truly spectacular. We would like to thank everyone, especially the Halton Lodge Young Leaders Group, who have worked with us to make this possible.”

 

 

 

 

John Willis House sheltered housing scheme in Rock Ferry, Birkenhead, invited residents from neighbouring streets to a very traditional strawberry cream tea on Wednesday 26 May to celebrate European Neighbours Day together. 

 

Staff from Cosmopolitan Housing Association who own and manage the scheme for over 55’s, organised a marquee and jazz trio ‘The Savoy Jazz Band’ for everyone to enjoy and served up strawberry cream teas in the garden. 

 

Residents from Cosmopolitan’s other sheltered schemes on the Wirral, Vincent Naughton Court and Rose Court also came along to celebrate the day. 

 

Alan Donnelly, Regeneration Officer, Cosmopolitan Housing, said:” This has been a great opportunity for residents to invite family, friends and neighbours along to spend time together and enjoy the lovely gardens here at John Willis House. The cream teas and the jazz band have been a huge hit with everyone today.” 

 

The event was funded by Cosmopolitan Housing Association and formed part of the European Neighbours Day celebrations that take place throughout Europe on the last Tuesday of May each year. The aim of the event is to bring neighbourhoods together and promote community cohesion.

 

Photograph: The Savoy Jazz Band with residents and guests at John Willis House, Rock Ferry (L-R back row: Peter Swensson, Olive Doherty, Brian Legan, Edna Clements, Malcolm Horne; L-R front: Gloria Brightmore, Marie Ashcroft and Sheila Young).  

Julie Wojcik and her family are settling in to their new home in Bootle - after watching it get built from scratch.

Julie, along with husband Barry and daughter Joanne, 10, used to live in Exeter Road, which is scheduled for clearance as part of the Sefton Housing Market Renewal programme.

Although they were sad to leave their former home, they were thrilled to be offered a brand new 2-bedroomed home in nearby Wadham Road - and as they lived so close, were able to witness it emerge from the rubble.

 

She said: "Once we had an idea we might be moving in, we kept popping over to see how the building was going. It was amazing to see - like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. We had a lot of happy memories of our former home, but now we are making new ones here, and our memories of this house will go all the way back to when the foundations were laid."

 

Julie, who works as a re-enablement assistant taking care of people who have been discharged from hospital, and Barry, who works at the passport office, are now living only a few minutes away from their old home, and still see their former friends and neighbours in the local area.

 

She said: "A lot of people stayed local, which was nice, so we all still see each other around. We had been happy in Exeter, and were initially concerned when we were told the regeneration plans meant we had to leave. We were the last family to go, and by that stage life had become difficult there. But we knew that we had somewhere lovely to move on to, still local, and convenient for Joanne's school, my work and public transport."

 

The Wojciks' new two-bedroomed property faces the park on Wadham Road, and is part of a £2.4m development of homes predominantly for rent by Cosmopolitan Housing Association. The houses have been designed along eco-friendly principles, and are adaptable, according to their residents' changing health and mobility needs.

 

Regeneration in the area includes new build, refurbishment, clearance and a range of ongoing initiatives to improve quality of life. In Bedford Queens it is led by a multi-agency partnership called Evolve, which includes NewHeartlands, the Merseyside housing market renewal pathfinder, Sefton Council, Plus Dane Group and Cosmopolitan Housing Association.

 

 

The developers are aiming for a ‘Very Good’ rating from BREEAM, the international standard for assessing the environmental performance of buildings.

 

Karen Hunter, Project Manager at Cosmopolitan Housing Association, said: “The homes are conveniently situated within walking distance to Warrington town centre and are finished to a high specification with patio gardens, parking, security alarms and double glazing. They also back onto a pleasant recreation area which will add to their appeal for families.”

 

Applications may be made through the Golden Gates waiting list on tel: 0800 25 26 27.

 

Cosmopolitan now owns and manages 100 homes in the Warrington area, having purchased 90 units from Countryside Properties at Carrington Park last year.

Completion is expected by July 2011, ready for letting the following September to local university students from across the city’s two universities.

The accommodation will be built across two blocks and will boast larger than average room sizes, high specification finishing to all private and communal areas, 24 hour security and a landscaped inner courtyard.

All of the study bedrooms will incorporate Voiceover IP which enables telephone, TV reception and internet access to be provided over one cable.

The developers are aiming for a ‘Very Good’ Eco-Homes rating and are hoping to include an energy efficient combined heat and power plant within the building to help minimise fuel costs and CO2 emissions.

Funding has been secured for the project from Barclays Bank and the building will be jointly owned by Iliad Group and Cosmopolitan Student Homes.

Liverpool-based Cosmopolitan Student Homes has been providing student housing since 1969 and currently manages some 3,700 units of accommodation in Liverpool, Manchester , Preston, Salford, Bradford and Stratford-upon-Avon . It is part of the not-for-profit Cosmopolitan Housing Group, which re-invests any surpluses generated into its mainstream social housing provision.

Geoff Redhead, Cosmopolitan Group Chief Executive, said “We are very excited and pleased to have started on site at Bagot Street, our second student homes development in the Midlands.

“The partnership we have formed with Iliad is bringing major private investment into this area of the city at a time when many other building projects have been badly hit by the recession.

“It’s good news for everyone with an interest in the continued regeneration of Birmingham and of course for the students themselves who will benefit from a really impressive, but affordable place to live.”

 

For some, like 16 year old Paige Ackers (pictured above on skis), it will be their first taste of life on two skis: “I’ve not even been on a dry ski slope before so I’m a bit nervous but I’m looking forward to being away with my mates” she said. “We’re sleeping in chalets which is going to be fun. There’s only one shop in the village as well but I’m not bothered – we’ve all brought loads of sweets and stuff!”

 

 Local Community Centre opens its doors after a £74,000 makeover

“Sue has worked for Cosmopolitan for almost 15 years” said Geoff Redhead. “She’s a familiar and friendly voice to the many customers, partners and contractors who telephone us and always offers a warm and helpful welcome to visitors.” 

Six Halton residents from disadvantaged backgrounds have returned from India after an inspiring and emotive trip to an orphanage for children affected by HIV/AIDS.

The children at the orphanage have not only lost their parents to the virus but contracted it themselves.

 

Aged between 16 and 34, the delegates were part of a group of 12 staff and residents from Halton YMCA Foyer in Runcorn Cheshire and Cosmopolitan Housing Association.

 
The two organisations have jointly raised around £2,500 each year for the last two years to provide essential medical supplies for the children, to enhance their quality of life expectancy.

 

The group returned last month having spent ten days at the orphanage which is managed by the Mangalore YMCA and were able to experience first-hand, the day-to-day life of the children they help to support.

 

Rob Price, aged 19, was one of the residents from Halton YMCA Foyer who went on the trip.

 

He said: " I found it very hard and challenging but at the same time it was nice to finally meet the children at the orphanage and see the good work that's being carried out there after raising money for the project. The level of deprivation we saw really helped to put things into perspective about our own lives here in the UK."

 

Kristene Karaski, Regeneration Officer at Cosmopolitan Housing Association, said: "This was a very challenging, and at times difficult trip but presented an amazing and rewarding opportunity to see first hand how fundraising efforts here, benefit the innovative and invaluable work carried out by Mangalore YMCA.

 

"It has made all of us in the group more determined than ever to raise funds and awareness of the problems faced by residents in Mangalore, India."

 

Cosmopolitan Housing Association and Halton YMCA worked in partnership to raise funds for the trip and Lorraine Butcher, Operational Director for Preventative Services at Halton Borough Council, gave the young people a number of gifts from the council to give out to the children at the orphanage.

 

John Mackie Executive Director at Halton YMCA said: "This project fulfils one of the main aims of the YMCA which is 'To give young people the opportunity of gaining a better understanding of themselves, their community and the wider world in which they live'."

 

The delegation also included a member of staff from Y Care International

Additional funding for the trip was received from Northwest Regional YMCAs (£1,000), The YMCA Movement Trust Fund (£1,500), The Church of the Foundry (£1,000) and Halton Housing Trust (£600).

 

 

Local resident Jack Mantle, aged 90, helped bring down the last wall of an empty block of flats at Wetherby Court, off Cartmel Road, Huyton, Liverpool on Tuesday 5 August 2008.

The site is being cleared by Cosmopolitan Housing Association to make way for a new  £2.3 million Extra Care housing complex for older people.

Jack, who lives at nearby Hillside Residential Home was appointed Demolition Man for the project after winning a poetry competition organised by Cosmopolitan for local older residents.

His poem, entitled The Joys of Growing Older, won him the honour of helping to complete the demolition. Watched by local residents, dignitaries and invited guests, Mr Mantle was kitted out in regulation hard hat and high-viz jacket and rang a bell to order a JC to demolish the final wall.

Afterwards he delighted guests by reading his winning poem at a reception lunch at The Gate community centre on Princess Drive, Huyton.

Work will begin on the new extra care complex at Wetherby Court next month with completion set for July 2009. The development will consist of 23 apartments with car parking, communal lounge, kitchens, and treatment and therapy rooms.

Cosmopolitan Housing Association Chair, Beatrice Fraenkel, said: We are delighted to have Mr Mantle along to help us with this significant milestone in the project and to be able to celebrate the occasion with our key partners including Knowsley Borough Council and Knowsley Primary Care Trust.

The plans for the redevelopment of Wetherby Court began as a result of Knowsleys Housing Strategy identifying a need for extra care housing in the area. This increasingly popular model of housing and care offers older people a high degree of independent living with a flexible care package on-site that adapts to their needs.

Councillor Graham Morgan, Knowsley Councils Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development said: The development at Wetherby Court is fantastic. It will provide new and modern high-quality homes for older people in this area. Knowsley Council is committed to providing a high quality of housing for all of our residents to create a safer and stronger Knowsley and we are proud to be working with our partners to deliver this ding for the £2.3 million project will come from the Housing Corporation, Knowsley Council and Cosmopolitan itself. Once open it will be run in partnership with Knowsley Primary Care Trust and Knowsley Social Services.

 

 

Residents at Cosmopolitan Housing Associations award winning Olive Mount Gardens on Edgewell Drive, Wavertree had an unusual and entertaining afternoon of musical and visual fun on Thursday 31 July when Liverpool based performing arts organisation BROUHAHA came to perform.

There were performances from 2 international artists: The Belmont Freetown Cultural Arts & Folk Company from Trinidad & Tobago, a well established music and dance group who performed their show based on old time carnival characters.

 

Polands Dont Panic Brass Band also performed an exciting fusion of polish traditional compositions.

Diane Maddock, Community Development Co-ordinator for Cosmopolitan Housing Association said: It has been a great day and we were very pleased with the turn-out! In addition to the fabulous international performances we had a local Mosaic Artist here working with local residents to create a piece of work depicting the Superlambanana that is currently on show in the Gardens.

There was something for all ages here today, the children just loved the Street Performer with magic shows and the Drum Workshop was a big hit! 
She added: This event would not have been possible without the support of Brouhaha and the grant from Capital of Culture and so we are very grateful for their contributions which have made today such a success!

A group of eight young people from the Bootle area of Liverpool have been taken on by Bramall Construction, part of the Keepmoat Group, to help deliver the company's latest housing project for Liverpool-based Cosmopolitan Housing Association.

 

Picture: (left to right) Bramall Construction apprentice, Les Charlton, Bramall senior site manager, apprentice Carla Lawrence, Geoff Redhead, CEO Cosmopolitan and Bramall Construction apprentice.
And despite now being gainfully employed on the Bramall projects around Merseyside, three of them came back to help officially hand over the new apartments at Banbury Court, on Worcester Road, Bootle.

The £2.1 million brownfield development, built on the site of a former youth club that had fallen into disrepair, comprises 16 two-bedroom apartments, which are being sold on by Cosmopolitan through the Government's NewBuild Homebuy initiative.

Geoff Redhead, chief executive of Cosmopolitan Housing Association, said: "We are pleased to be working with both Bramall Construction and the Bootle Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder in not only improving the choice of housing options for local people but helping these apprentices on their way to a career in the construction in industry."

 

Steve Parrington, director of Bramall Construction, added: "We are pleased to have worked in partnership with Cosmopolitan Housing to deliver this affordable housing development which local people in Bootle will benefit from.

"We are especially pleased to have been able to offer our apprentices the opportunity to work on the Worcester Road development and in the process, gain some excellent experience in working on a scheme which has achieved an Eco Homes Very Good rating.

"Our apprentices are now looking forward to working on our other schemes across Merseyside."  Eight trainees from the local area were employed by Bramall Construction to help deliver the scheme.

Carla Lawrence, 24, a trainee Quantity Surveyor has gained some invaluable practical skills from working on the Worcester Road scheme, which she is putting towards her qualifications. Bramall Construction is paying for Carla to attend Liverpool Community College on day release.

Once she has completed her seven year course, Carla will have achieved an ONC, HNC and a degree in Quantity Surveying.

Carla said: "My role requires me to do lots of different things and I've had experience working out on site and dealing with different trades with sub-contractors."

She added: "Although I'm one of the few women working on site I hope more women will be encouraged to join the construction industry in future and the whole team has been behind me and has supported me every step of the way."

 

Lovers of culture, whether it be music, theatre, architecture or fine dining, have a chance to purchase their perfect city nest with the handover this week (7th July) of a newly refurbished group of nine apartments on Liverpools Hope Street.

Cathedral Point, so named because of its location mid-way between the citys two famous cathedrals, comprises 7 two-bed apartments and 2 one-bed apartments ranging in price from £189,950 up to £239,950.

The development is situated in a prime location within the Rodney Street conservation area, and has been sympathetically restored to retain its Georgian faade, high ceilings and traditional sash windows.

Its key selling point however is being within a short stroll of many of the European Capital of Cultures best known focal points including the Philharmonic Hall, the Everyman and Unity theatres, the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, the Metropolitan and Anglican Cathedrals and some of the citys most celebrated restaurants including 60 Hope Street and the London Carriage Works.

The apartments have been developed through a joint venture between White Property Services and Cosmopolitan Enterprises, the commercial development arm of Liverpool-based Cosmopolitan Housing Group.

Geoff Redhead, Chief Executive of Cosmopolitan Housing Group said: Its not hard to imagine the kind of vibrant lifestyle that people will be able to enjoy at Cathedral Point. Not surprisingly the apartments have been attracting a lot of interest, with three apartments already reserved off plan.

Mr Redhead explained how profits from the sale of the apartments will go to benefit the Cosmopolitan Groups charitable objectives: Cosmopolitans core business is social housing he said, œand we have a proud tradition of providing good quality affordable housing on Merseyside, stretching back 40 years.

Cosmopolitan Enterprises exists not just to breathe new life into buildings such as Cathedral Point, but to generate income for the Groups social housing activities.
We are very keen to explore further development opportunities of this nature in partnership with other developers or site owners.

Stewart Bonnette, Managing Director of White Property Services, said, "We believe that the conversion of Cathedral Point represents a unique opportunity to complete one of the few remaining sites in the Georgian Quarter. Uniquely situated between the two cathedrals, with views down to the Liver Buildings, truly one of the best locations in the city."

The apartments, which will include fully fitted kitchens, secondary double glazing and videophone entry systems, are for sale through City Residential; telephone: 0151 231 6100 or email: robert.goulding@cityresidential.co.uk

 

Geoff Redhead added that negotiations are currently at an advanced stage with a leading Liverpool restaurant group to occupy the commercial space on the ground floor of the building. I cant name names at this stage but we hope to be able to make an exciting announcement in the next few weeks regarding the lease of our ground floor premises which will really help put Cathedral Point on the map.

 

A new development of affordable housing has gone on sale in Bootle.

The scheme has been built to a high standard and has been awarded Eco Homes and Secure by Design certification. This reflects the use of sustainable building materials in its construction, and the inclusion of crime prevention measures such as private, off-street parking within a landscaped inner courtyard.  Internal features include fitted kitchens with appliances, and floor coverings are provided throughout.

All of the apartments at the £2.1 million publicly subsidised scheme are being offered for sale through the government's Homebuy initiative.

Cosmopolitan Housing Association teamed up with local residents on Runcorn's Halton Lodge estate to hold a Community Action Day yesterday, Wednesday 28 May 2008.

The event ran from 11am to 3pm and provided a host of activities for all ages including information from Cheshire Fire & Rescue, a voluntary litter pick by the Halton Lodge Young Leaders group, a poster competition display and information stalls from local groups including Age Concern, the local Credit Union and Halton Borough Council's Consumer Protection Team.

The Mayor of Runcorn, Cllr Kath Loftus officially opened proceedings at Halton Lodge Community Centre where the majority of events took place.

The whole day was organised by The Lodge Community Group which has been set up to run Halton Lodge Community Centre. They are working towards securing funding to improve the community centre and are keen to hear the views and ideas of local people.
The Group's chair, local resident Jane Higgins, said: "This event was a great way for all people who live in the area to take an interest in where they live and gain lots of different information from agencies who work in the area as well as have some fun. It was also a fantastic opportunity to promote the much-needed Halton Lodge Community Centre and show it as a hub for all the community."

Local landlord Cosmopolitan Housing Association, which manages the majority of homes on Halton Lodge was one of the main sponsors of the event. Kristene Karaski, Cosmopolitan's Regeneration Officer said despite the rain, they were very pleased with the turnout.

Cosmopolitan also teamed up with Halton Borough Council to set up four skips where people could recycle unwanted household items and a children's poster competition with pupils from Woodside Primary School on the theme of 'Looking After Your Neighbourhood'.

 

Photo caption: Helen Miller, Halton Youth Service with Jack Ainge, Halton Lodge Young Leaders Group

A new development of 24 affordable homes is nearing completion on the site of the former Pilot Pub near Birkenhead Park Station, Birkenhead.

The 2-bedroom flats built to a high specification are about to be handed over to Cosmopolitan Housing Association and has full support of Wirral Borough Council.

 

The £2.4m scheme will be welcome news to local people currently priced out of the property market, with 16 of the properties being let at 'social' rents from around £71 per week and the remaining 8 available to purchase through the Government's Low Cost Home Ownership Scheme which enables eligible applicants to purchase their home in affordable stages, paying rent to the housing association on the portion of its value they don't yet own.

Geoff Redhead, Chief Executive of Cosmopolitan Housing Association said: "We are very pleased to have the support of Wirral Borough Council in providing these much needed new homes for local people.

Cosmopolitan has been providing good quality homes in the North West for over 40 years. We believe that the properties at Beckwith Court will appeal strongly to first time buyers, particularly people working in Birkenhead or Liverpool City Centre.
 

The Low Cost Home Ownership scheme means that a first time buyer could purchase an initial 50% stake, for example, in a two bedroom home with a market value of £115,000   for just £57500. They would pay an additional rent of around £34 per week on the un-owned share, with the freedom to purchase a larger share as their circumstances improve."

The rented properties will be advertised via Wirral Homes and people interested in the shared ownership properties should contact   Joanne Oliver at Homelife Estates 0151 727 4375.

The apartments have been built by Abbotstone Development. Cosmopolitan Housing Association secured funding of £1,168,000 from the Housing Corporation to help ensure both the rented and for sale properties remain affordable.

Cosmopolitan Housing Association has launched an over 60s poetry competition with a truly smashing prize.

The competition is open to all residents over 60 living in the Huyton area, with the lucky winner getting the chance to kick-start the demolition of Wetherby Court, on the corner of Cartmel Road, Huyton.

 
In June, the association plans to start work on demolishing the building to make way for a new £2.3m 'housing with care' complex for older people.

The new purpose-built apartments are due to open around June 2009. They will offer older people the chance to live with independence, privacy and dignity but with companionship and personal care on hand whenever they should need it.

To win the chance to be at the controls of the JCB on Demolition Day, residents simply need to write a short poem entitled 'The Joys of Growing Older'.

Mike Pearmain, Cosmopolitan HA Project Manager, said: "The poem can be humorous, serious, poignant, whatever people feel like writing. It doesn't even need to rhyme. But we're hoping lots of people will want to try their hand to win this once in a lifetime opportunity."

The winner will be invited to start the historic demolition of the flats at 29-53 Wetherby Court, from which the last remaining tenants have now been re-housed. The unsightly two-storey building is boarded up and has attracted a number of problems of anti-social behaviour.

 

Liverpool residents who helped transform a derelict patch of land into a showpiece community garden are waiting excitedly to hear if they have won their second design award in six months.

 

The oasis of colourful plants, relaxing seating areas and public artworks that local people helped create at Olive Mount Gardens on Wellstead Road, Wavertree has been short-listed for a prestigious Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors North West Award, with the ceremony being held on May 16 at the Liverpool Echo Arena.

 
Only last November, the gardens gained a national award from the British Association of Landscape Industries, in recognition of the three-year project to reclaim a formerly vacant site for local people.

This time the project has made it from an initial group of 26 entries to the final six in the Community Benefit category.

 

It promises to be a nail-biting finish for members of the Olive Mount Steering Group, which was set up with the help of local landlords Cosmopolitan Housing Association.

 

Together with landscape architects from the Halsall Lloyd Partnership in Liverpool, the Steering Group came up with the designs for the 0.75-hectare site, which has since become a focal point for the regeneration of the Olive Mount neighbourhood.

 

The site of the former Holt School was re-opened as Olive Mount Gardens in July 2007 and forms the centrepiece of a new sheltered housing scheme and private housing development, integrating the existing community into a larger regeneration project which also benefits the wider area.

 

Cosmopolitan's Community Development Co-ordinator Diane Maddock said: "I think what's been achieved at Olive Mount Gardens is as impressive as anything you'll find in the country, not just the North West.

 

The local community helped us design and create it and now they are able to enjoy this fantastic facility every day, whether it's relaxing amongst the plants and sculptures, playing with their children or walking the dog. It's something we are all very proud of helping create."

 

The project cost almost £1m and was funded by Liverpool Housing Action Trust, Cosmopolitan Housing Association, Liverpool City Council and English Partnerships.

KHT Services lands £10m repairs and maintenance contract with Merseyside-based Cosmopolitan Housing Association.
 

KHT Services, the trading company of Knowsley Housing Trust, has won a major 10 year contract to deliver repairs and maintenance services to tenants of Cosmopolitan Housing Association.
 

The result of the £10m competitive OJEU tender, announced today (15th April 2008), will see KHT Services assume full responsibility for the upkeep of the association's 2,000 social rented homes around Merseyside and the North West. This will include gas servicing and the handling of customer repairs calls through KHT's new contact centre. 
 

Geoff Redhead, Cosmopolitan Housing Group Chief Executive said the contract promises a more customer focused service to tenants, whose views had helped influence the re-vamped repairs contract: "We carried out a major survey of tenants views last year, which helped us identify what tenants wanted most from the repairs service and we've been careful to incorporate as many of their suggested improvements as we can.

The selection process has been equally rigorous, again involving significant tenant input, and we are very confident in KHT Services capacity and commitment to deliver.

 

We are also looking to achieve significant efficiency gains through only having to work with one external organisation instead of the 55 or so subcontractors we have had to contract with in the past. At the same time, we're achieving the handover with no disruption to tenants, no internal redundancies and minimal impact on our external contractor partners."

 

Bob Taylor, Chief Executive of Knowsley Housing Trust said: "KHT Services and Cosmopolitan have got a lot in common with each other. We both want to provide our customers with a high quality repairs service, one that they can rely on and which gives them value for money. I really believe that the extensive experience and skills of our team can make a huge difference to Cosmopolitan and its customers."

 

Cosmopolitan tenants needing to report a repair should continue to use the existing repairs freephone number: 0808 100 2578. Calls will be automatically routed to KHT's customer service centre in Link Road Huyton which also serves the Trust's 13,900 homes.
 

Notes to Editors:
Hi-res photographs of Geoff Redhead and Bob Taylor are available to download from http://www.box.net/shared/dgdr1kvb48

 

About Cosmopolitan Housing Group
Cosmopolitan Housing Group is a housing association that provides almost 2,000 social and 3,500 student housing properties across the North West of England. It is a progressive and dynamic organisation with a clear vision for the future which sees it as 'an increasingly well respected and growing housing association with a reputation for delivering quality and excellence to a diverse range of service users'.
www.cosmopolitanhousing.co.uk

 

About KHT Services / Knowsley Housing Trust
KHT Services is Knowsley Housing Trust's trading subsidiary and is part of the KHT Group. It provides housing repairs and maintenance, gas servicing, telephone contact services, property management and other consultancy services.
KHT Services already has a great track record of success, working with and providing services to organisations such as Berrybridge Housing and Villages Housing and their tenants, achieving very high levels of tenant satisfaction with the way it carries out repairs.
Tel: 0151 290 7100
Email: enquiries@khtservices.co.uk
Website www.khtservices.co.uk

 

Knowsley Housing Trust owns and manages 13,900 homes in the Knowsley area of Merseyside. It was independently recognised in the Audit Commission's Inspection in 2007, when a two star 'good' service rating with 'promising prospects for improvement' was achieved. The result puts it amongst the top 25% of all housing associations in the country. The Trust is soon set to complete its £300 million improvement programme approximately two years ahead of schedule, which will ensure that all of its homes will meet the decent homes standard.
Tel: 0151 290 7000
Email: enquiries@k-h-t.org
Website: www.k-h-t.org
 

 

The successful redevelopment of a facility which has supported some of the country's most disadvantaged people for over 80 years has been named Best Partnership Project at this year's Liverpool Daily Post Property Awards.

Cosmopolitan Housing Association, received the award on Friday 11 April for its project to redevelop the Birkenhead YMCA on Whetstone Lane, Birkenhead.

The building, which is home to some 56 homeless people, was recognised as the best in its class alongside such other high profile developments as Liverpool's Arena and Convention Centre (ACC) and Exchange Flags redevelopment.

The original YMCA building, opened in 1937, had become increasingly costly to maintain and repair and was no longer felt to be meeting the needs of its users, including the local community, in what has historically been one of the country's poorest areas.

In 2002, the YMCA called in Cosmopolitan who carried out a feasibility study and led on the subsequent redevelopment of the building, which was completed in July 2007.

Funding of £2.2 million was secured through the Housing Corporation, the European Regional Development Fund and the Housing Market Renewal Programme. This enabled Cosmopolitan to demolish the old YMCA building and create a striking modern £6.2 million facility on the same site.

 
The new building provides good quality ensuite single rooms for 56 homeless men and women along with communal facilities and on-site personal support. It also provides a range of facilities for the local community. Separate entrances for the two client groups are linked by a common reception area to provide the right balance of privacy and integration for residents.

Geoff Redhead, Chief Executive of Cosmopolitan Housing Group said: "We are absolutely delighted to have won this award and also to have been shortlisted in the Social Housing Residential Development category. It was a particularly challenging project as we needed to ensure the minimum amount of disruption for residents while the old building was being demolished and replaced. We are particularly grateful to Wirral Borough Council who helped in this respect by providing temporary accommodation for residents through the redevelopment."

He added: "The new building is as different from its somewhat institutional predecessor as it's possible to get. People have commented on how bright and welcoming it feels and we believe it represents an important contribution to what is now the now up-and-coming NewHeartlands housing market renewal area."
 

For further information or photos, please contact: James Rae on 0151 625 3900 (office) or 07919 156432 (mobile).

 

Cosmopolitan Housing Group is a housing association that provides almost 2,000 social and 3,500 student housing properties across the North West of England. It is a progressive and dynamic organisation with a clear vision for the future which sees it as 'an increasingly well respected and growing housing association with a reputation for delivering quality and excellence to a diverse range of service users'. www.cosmopolitanhousing.co.uk

High resolution photographs are available from James Rae Communications on tel: 0151 625 3900 (email: james@jamesrae.co.uk)
 

Cosmopolitan Housing Group is committed to eliminating discrimination, promoting equality and celebrating diversity in all activities in which it engages.  As part of the Group's commitment to delivering its Equality and Diversity Strategy, it has published its new Gender Equality Scheme.

 

The Gender Equality Scheme sets out the way in which the Group will seek to combat gender inequalities in relation to its governance, staffing and service delivery.  The scheme consists of a Policy and an Action Plan, and has been developed as a 'live' scheme that will evolve over time.

 

The CHG Gender Equality Policy sets out how the Group will meet the general and specific duties to promote gender equality as required by the Equality Act 2006, and passed on to housing associations through the Housing Corporation Circular 10/07.  It will use this as the platform for promoting gender equality, including those persons that identify themselves as transsexual.

 

The Group will monitor progress against its Gender Equality Action Plan and regularly update it to ensure that it remains relevant and in line with the Group's values and objectives.

 

Cosmopolitan Enterprises Announces New Chair

David Waugh, the former Chief Executive of the Liverpool Land Development Company has been appointed as Chair of an up-and-coming property development firm whose profits are helping to fund new social housing projects in the North West.

Cosmopolitan Enterprises Ltd, part of the Liverpool- based Cosmopolitan Housing Group, announced the high profile appointment yesterday.

The company, which was set up in 2003, acts as the commercial development arm of the Cosmopolitan Housing Group, which also comprises a 2,000 home not-for-profit housing association and a commercial provider of over 3,500 student homes.

Cosmopolitan Enterprises aims to establish a pipeline of developments to generate at least £500,000 a year to gift aid back to the Group's charitable objectives.

During his five years at the helm of LLDC, up to May 2007, Mr Waugh oversaw the multi million pound regeneration of four key strategic areas of Liverpool.

They included the Edge Lane Project and the transformation of hundreds of acres of industrial wasteland in Speke Garston into the National Biomanufacturing Centre and science park, for which David Waugh received a 'Special Achievers Award' at the Liverpool Daily Post Property Awards in 2007.

He also has extensive international experience of commercial property development and real estate investment in major projects from the USA, Mexico, Canada and Australia to Canary Wharf in London.

David said: "I have a strong interest in the corporate development of organisations working at the public/private sector interface. Having spent many years of working at a senior level to manage the growth of groups and companies internationally, I am keen to apply that experience to organisations with worthwhile objectives and Cosmopolitan Enterprises clearly meets those criteria.

"I have a further personal and professional interest in developing corporate values and ethics across sectors and markets in a manner that sets examples and creates ripple effects."

Geoff Redhead, Cosmopolitan Housing Group Chief Executive, said: "To have secured someone of David's calibre to help deliver Cosmopolitan Enterprises plans for growth is a major coup and we are delighted to welcome him on board. He will, I am sure, bring a wealth of valuable leadership experience to what is already a very strong board."


Clean Bill of Health For Cosmopolitan

Merseyside-based Cosmopolitan Housing Group has received four 'green lights' from the Housing Corporation, giving it a clean bill of health click here to access the assessment.

The Housing Corporation Assessment of the Group, which provides almost 2,000 social housing and over 3,500 student properties across the North West, gave Cosmopolitan he all clear in four key areas of financial viability, governance, management and development capacity, in the report just published.

Chief Executive of Cosmopolitan Housing Group, Geoff Redhead, said: "Four green lights is the best possible result for any association and it reflects very positively on the organisation's Boards, management and staff.

"We are naturally very pleased and are looking forward to announcing some exciting new projects in the coming months, in Merseyside and beyond, in partnership with the Housing Corporation and others."


Community Leader Named Cosmopolitan's Volunteer Of The Year

A campaigning grandmother from one of Liverpool's closest knit communities has been named 'Volunteer of the Year' by Cosmopolitan Housing Association (CHA).

For over seven years, Liverpool City Council tenant, Irene Hanratty, aged 61, has been a stalwart member of the residents association in Marybone, the city centre community where she and her family have lived all their lives.

Along with fellow residents she has worked tirelessly with CHA, the council and other local agencies to deal with neighbourhood issues and help maintain the quality of life in Marybone.

Picture: Liverpool City Council tenant, Irene Hanratty is congratulated on being named Cosmopolitan Housing Association's 'Volunteer of the Year' by BBC Radio Merseyside's Roger Phillips (centre) and Cosmopolitan Housing Group Chief Executive Geoff Redhead.

Over the years their campaigns have included successfully persuading Liverpool's Education Department to save Holy Cross School from closure and a sadly unsuccessful bid to keep the local Catholic church open.

Irene is also a member of the Marybone Community Forum, which is co-ordinated by Cosmopolitan Housing Association.

She received her award from Cosmopolitan Housing Group Chief Executive Geoff Redhead at a presentation event last week at Liverpool John Moores University Marybone Theatre. Also present were special guest Roger Phillips of BBC Radio Merseyside and the winners of other categories including the Good Neighbour Award and the Mike Maginness Award.

Geoff Redhead commented: "It is people like Irene and the other award winners tonight who help create strong, vibrant communities where people choose to stay and put down roots. We are delighted to be giving them some public recognition at this, our first annual Volunteer Awards."

Irene said she was proud to accept the award on behalf of the whole residents association who had helped to keep the community together and added: "We all do what we can because we love this community. Some people have lived around this part of the city for four or even five generations. Everyone knows each other and they look out for each other.

"There's more to this city than all the high rise buildings that are going up everywhere. The old communities like ours are part of Liverpool's heart."


Sefton Unites To Tackle Anti-Social Behaviour

Housing associations across Sefton have joined forces to help combat anti-social behaviour and Hate Crime in the borough.

The new group known as the 'Registered Social Landlords Anti-Social Behaviour (RSL ASB) Forum draws members from a number of housing associations, including One Vision Housing, Riverside Housing, Adactus Housing, Cosmopolitan Housing Association, Rodney Housing, Evolve, Breath Plus and Maritime Housing Association.

The purpose of the Forum is to develop effective measures to tackle anti-social behaviour in Sefton; to share information and good practice and to promote joint working on specific issues.
 Picture: Members of the forum at a recent meeting, including (L-R) Colin Croxton, Cosmopolitan HA. Det. Sgt. Dave Rich, Sigma Unit Merseyside Police; Stephanie Roberts, Breath Plus; Chris Blackhurst, Riverside H A; Angela Don, Maritime HA, and Joe Mullis from One Vision Housing.

The RSL ASB Forum will act as an information outlet, providing the exchange of information to help organisations in the area apply and implement the Government's agenda for community improvement through initiatives like the Respect Standard for Housing Management. The forum will also encourage the development of best practice to enhance community safety The Forum draws together a wide range of bodies including Sefton Council, the Police and statutory and voluntary agencies to work closely to build sound working Recent statistics show that the partnership is already seeing results having recently secured 11 injunctions against individuals in Sefton identified as causing anti-social behaviour; with three of these including exclusion orders preventing the individual from entering certain areas and/or properties.

Detective Sergeant David Rich from Merseyside Police Sigma Unit, who undertakes all investigations into Hate Crime within the Sefton area, said: "Hate Crime has a devastating effect on the quality of life, not only does it affect the individual themselves, but it has a overwhelming impact upon their family and the wider community as a whole. Merseyside Police will not tolerate any form of Hate Crime and we are committed to ensuring the safety of everyone within the community, regardless of their circumstances.

"In Sefton we have dedicated investigators trained to deal with these types of crimes and as wells being able to provide help and advice, they are able to direct people to other agencies who can offer additional forms of support".


Merseyside: New Lettings Service Lets Tenants

Home-seekers on Merseyside will be able to benefit from a new lettings service giving them greater control over where they live.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has granted £100,000 to a partnership of local authorities and housing associations for the development of a sub-regional choice based lettings service.

The partnership - which includes Knowsley, Liverpool and Wirral councils plus The Riverside Group, Arena, CDS, Cosmopolitan, Contour, Hornby, Knowsley Housing Trust, LHT, Maritime, New Generation, One Vision, Pierhead, SLHA, Venture, Villages Housing -was one of 18 across the UK whose bid for funding was successful.

Rather than the landlord attempting to match an applicant to a property, choice-based lettings requires people to bid for advertised homes and the person with the highest priority will be made the offer. By introducing choice based lettings on a sub-regional basis, the partnership is bringing together a larger pool of available housing, giving home- seekers more choice and flexibility.

It is intended that the web-based service will provide access to a directory of available and affordable housing options. With a range of access points and methods customers will be able to choose when, where and how they use the service.

Anna Bishop, of The Riverside Group, said: "Most of our subsidiaries have already operated choice based lettings for a number of years but by joining together with other housing associations and local authorities we are taking this service to the next level. We believe a partnership approach is the best way of meeting home-seeker's housing needs.

"The aim is to provide a one stop shop offering access to a series of solutions from social rented, shared ownership and sheltered accommodation to care and repair schemes."

Jill Wilson, Head of Housing, Planning and Building Control at Knowsley Council added: "As the lead authority, Knowsley is very excited about this opportunity. There are a number of benefits of cross-local authority schemes. Not only do they enable greater regional mobility, break down artificial boundaries and recognise existing housing and labour markets but they also help to ease localised problems of high demand."


New Rented Homes Unveiledin St Helens 10 January 2008

Applications are now being accepted for a brand new £3.3m development of affordable rented homes in St Helens.

Cosmopolitan Housing Association has unveiled its new-build scheme of 36 apartments at St Aidan's Court on Lindsay Street, Clock Face Village.

Built on the site of the former St Aidan's school, the 34 two-bed and 2 one-bed partments have been developed to a high standard with fitted kitchens, floor coverings and off-street car parking all included.

In line with the wishes of local people, the first phase of lettings, just before Christmas, enabled anyone over 30 years of age who either lives, works or provides support to somebody in Clock Face Village to have first choice of the apartments.

As a result, 15 of the apartments have already been let through a dedicated lettings line managed by Under One Roof, the service for providing affordable rented homes in St Helens.

Now the remaining 21 are now being made more widely available, as David Taylor, Lettings and Marketing Manager at Under One Roof explained: "We are pleased to be working with Cosmopolitan Housing Association in letting this scheme.

"It will be advertised through Under One Roof in next week's local press (16 January) and we will be welcoming applications from people, regardless of age, who either live, work or support someone in Clock Face Village or people aged 30 plus from the wider St Helens area." Potential applicants must be registered as members of Under One Roof in order to be considered.

The scheme's development costs have been subsidised by £1.8m of Housing Corporation funding which has enabled rents to be set in the region of £65-£75 per week.

Mark Wiggins, Cosmopolitan's Regeneration Manager, said: "Cosmopolitan Housing Association is a well established provider of good quality homes across the North West and we are very proud of this particular development.

"Through our discussions with St Helens Borough Council we have identified a strong need for good quality, affordable, rented accommodation in the area and St Aidan's Court very much fits the bill."


A new YMCA for Birkenhead

In Birkenhead, Wirral, an extraordinary building has opened for business. To tackle homeless and exclusion in one of the poorest wards in England, Birkenhead YMCA and Cosmopolitan Housing Association have created a colourful, welcoming and brilliantly upbeat building in the heart of the community a community served by the Y since 1874.

Built by Cosmopolitan HA (who have almost finished a similar scheme for YMCA Liverpool) the new building opens its doors to the wider community while cleverly protecting the privacy of residents.

The residence is designed to sustain and develop the Birkenhead Ys work in homelessness and asssociated problems. The accommodation comprises 56 rooms: 36 single en-suite rooms for supported living (including four flats for wheelchair users) with a bright and spacious dining room, kitchen and communal lounge; and 20 single en-suite rooms for semi-independent living, clustered in groups of five with a dining/kitchen/ living area for each cluster. Institutional features are minimised by bright colours and unusual and varied textures and flooring.

In the same building, but subtlely segregated from the accommodation, is the working space of the Youth and Community Team alongside superb conference and meeting rooms open to the local community including a 70-seater training room, prayer room and state-of-the-art IT suite. The community caf sits behind a large glass faade and, with bold signage, opens up the building to passers-by. Behind the building a courtyard and lawns create a welcoming and peaceful open space.
One key challenge for the architects Ainsley Gommon was to design an environment that is safe and secure for both staff and users but where security is sensitive to the residents perception of being at home.

The building uses orientation to make use of ambient energy; the internal layout and location of rooms maximises natural light and recyclable materials are used throughout to make the building environmentally friendly, sustainable and economical to run.

For more information:
Stephen Morris 07831 425 610 smc@freeuk.com
Amanda Shannon 0151 227 3716 amandashannon@cosmopolitanhousing.co.uk
Anne Johnson 0151 652 7684 (Birkenhead YMCA)

Photos:
1/ various of building
2/ (left to right) Allan Batty (YMCA Birkenhead Business Development Manager),
resident Mike Birchell and Peter Cookson (YMCA Birkenhead Head of Supported Housing)

Architects: Ainsley Gommon.

Construction: Thomas Barnes and Sons

Begun: May 2006. Completed: July 2007

Cost: Construction 4.5 million, with decant and refurbishment 6.3 million The non housing element of the building has been purchased by Birkenhead YMCA for 2 million. The housing element of the building remains in the ownership of Cosmopolitan Housing Association; Birkenhead YMCA will manage the residents on behalf of CHA.


Board Members
The Group is currently looking to recruit Board Members as part of its on-going commitment to maintaining excellent standards of governance and probity.

The Group is looking for people who share its values and ethos, are strong communicators, analytical, and able to bring objectivity to its strategic decision making.

Group Board Members are expected to attend approximately 7 meetings per year in addition to our continuous training and development.

The Group is particularly interested in receiving applications from people with knowledge and expertise in equality and diversity; finance and audit; human resources; development based marketing, private sector development; and student accommodation.

The successful candidates will take up their appointments following the Annual General Meetings which are scheduled to take place in September. To find out more about becoming a Board Member, please see Board Membership.


Cosmopolitan Enterprises

Cosmopolitan Enterprises Limited was formed as Cosmopolitan Commercial Limited on 20th June 2003 and began trading on 1st April 2005 as a company within the Cosmopolitan Housing Group. It has recently undergone a change of name to better reflect the nature of its business activities. It is a Company Limited by Shares, and trades for profit which is covenanted towards the charitable activities of the Group.

Cosmopolitan Enterprises was established to enable the Group to improve its market position and take maximum advantage of new commercially orientated housing and development opportunities that allow it to increase and enhance its social and student housing stock.