Home: News
Colne Housing celebrates 35 years of affordable homes
18th March 2008
Colchester-based Colne Housing is celebrating another significant step in its rapid growth as it reaches its 35th anniversary.
Colne’s special 35th anniversary year will be marked with a range of events involving staff, tenants and the wider community.
Among the year-long celebrations will be a treasure hunt for tenants, a major conference on housing, a charity casino night, the planting of 35 new trees, tenant parties and many other special events.
Colne have chosen the Essex Air Ambulance as their charity of the year, and will be raising money throughout the year for this worthy cause.
Thirty five years ago, in 1973, Colchester families could buy a three bedroom semi for less than £8,000.
Today it is some 20 times higher.
When the Wombles first set up home on Wimbledon Common, home ownership in Essex began to rise from about 50 per cent in 1973 to its current level of over 70%.
But today’s soaring house prices of up to ten times annual salaries can mean the dream of buying a home is fast becoming beyond the reach of millions.
Fast-growing affordable housing provider, Colne Housing, has led the way since 1973 in the Government-led drive to enhance and improve the range of affordable homes for thousands of families, couples and single people who may not be able to get onto the first rung of the housing ladder.
Colne Housing began in 1973 with a range of affordable homes on two large estates, one at Heybridge in Maldon and the other at Greenstead in Colchester. Today Colne Housing owns and manages more than 2,000 affordable homes across Essex.
Many of the homes are general housing needs, whilst others are designed for the elderly, offering sheltered accommodation and specially-adapted properties for people with physical or learning disabilities.
Since 1973 Colne Housing has followed a steady building programme, always with the aim of working with local people in the local community, and keeping close to the community to address local needs.
Colne Housing works to improve the wider communities in which it works, including a community development project in Mile End (CAM) and most recently it has launched a Construction Scholarship Scheme. It is committed to addressing some of the social issues which affect residents and their neighbourhoods.
Today Colne Housing Society’s commercial division, Letting Solutions, also offers the Society’s expertise and services to other housing associations, developers, businesses and charities. These services range from property management to residential lettings, private sector leasings, payroll and financial support services.
Colne Housing Chairman Bill Frame said: “Colne Housing’s success over four decades illustrates how much the demand for affordable housing has grown until today it is a key part of the community housing stock.
“In Essex Colne Housing now works to provide affordable homes across the county through a wide range of schemes from urban regeneration, to rural schemes and many other special projects.
“We have come a very long way but thousands more new homes are still needed to meet the growing demand in the county.
“Over the past 35 years Colne has made a major contribution to expanding affordable housing and we remain committed to helping rejuvenate areas that have often been overlooked
“Since we started, houses have become too expensive for very many local people to live in. We are determined to do everything we can to provide excellent affordable homes and to sustain this work for many years to come.”
Chief Executive Mark Powell Davies said: “When Colne Housing was established 35 years ago the aim was to create more affordable homes and to encourage a wider take-up of the very best in affordable homes across north Essex.
“The past 35 years has seen the affordable housing sector rise up the political agenda and we remain just as committed today to directly helping people and families.
‘The programme for the 35th anniversary is testimony to that original aim being achieved – whether you judge by the number of homes built, the number of people it has helped to house or the way it has helped hundreds of people to enjoy a quality of life that might otherwise not have been possible”.
For other news, please view our Press Release and Newsletter archives.
