Public Exhibition on £7 million Essington Redevelopment

A public consultation on new plans for a proposed £7 million redevelopment of an Essington sheltered housing complex will take place in the village next week.

People are being urged to go along to have a look at the latest plans for Park House, updated after consultation with current residents, to have a look at what is on the table and let South Staffordshire Housing Association know what they think.

Also on hand at Park House between 3pm and 7.30pm on March 18 will be representatives from development partners Central Borders Housing Group and Lockett Property Holdings, to discuss the proposals alongside new detailed drawings.

Feedback gathered from the local community will then be analysed to see if any further changes are made before a planning application is put together to submit to South Staffordshire Council.

“We want as many people as possible to come along to the exhibition and public consultation and have their say,” said Sue Rowley, managing director of South Staffordshire Housing Association.

“This will be an opportunity for people to see the revised plans which have been put together after consultation with current residents at Park House.

“As a responsible landlord, we want to give everyone living in the surrounding area a chance to study the plans, ask questions and give their thoughts before we move forward.

“We have an opportunity to invest around £7 million in creating comfortable, modern homes for older people in Essington, both now and in the future, through a redevelopment scheme. It will, inevitably, mean some upheaval while the work is going on. All current residents have been assured though that they will be offered appropriate alternative accommodation close to friends and family while the work is carried out, and will have first choice of moving back once the work is finished.”

The redevelopment would create up to 70 high-quality one and two-bedroom flats with vastly improved facilities as well as more communal resources such as an internet suite, residents’ club room, gym and communal dining area. There would be landscaped gardens, additional parking and arrangements for extra support, care and health services.

It would provide a mix of shared-ownership and rented homes to help meet the housing needs of the growing number of older residents in Essington and South Staffordshire in the future.

The plans for Park House are in line with a new Government strategy published last month to address the needs of an ageing society. Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods sets out national plans for making sure there is enough appropriate housing available in future to relieve the forecasted unsustainable pressures on homes, health and social care services.

It predicts that older people will account for 48 per cent of the increase in the total number of households by 2026 – around 2.4 million more older households than there are today.

Park House was built in the 1970s when bed-sit housing was commonplace. Today, both men and women are living longer and more couples, as well as single people, want affordable housing which caters for their needs.

By 2012 it is predicted that one in five people in South Staffordshire will be over 60 years old.

(Released 7th March 2008.)

For more details on the exhibition download our leaflet: Park House Redevelopment Leaflet

Landlord Helps Soften the Credit Crunch

A financial advice service run by a Staffordshire landlord has helped older residents collect more than £40,000 in unclaimed benefits this year alone.

South Staffordshire Housing Association’s advice and support team visited tenants at supported schemes it runs in the area to check residents were claiming all they were entitled to, but found a significant number were missing out on available payments, including attendance allowance, tax credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit.

Now they are helping those out of pocket claim what they are entitled to – and they want other tenants who may be struggling with debts and household bills to come forward for help.

The news came as the Citizen’s Advice Bureau reported that there had been a 35 per cent surge in the number of people seeking help with money worries compared to a year ago.

Since it began six years ago, South Staffordshire Housing Association’s advice and support team has helped customers claim nearly £2 million in unclaimed benefits.

“We have seen a significant increase in people experiencing problems paying their rent and having problems with debt over the last few months,” said Colin Spires, of the organisation’s advice and support team.

“The credit crunch is having a really effect on people in the area, but there are things people can do to help themselves.

“We ran a benefit take-up campaign at all our sheltered housing schemes and, among older tenants alone, identified more than £40,000 currently not being claimed. We then helped these tenants claim the benefits to which they were entitled.

“What we want to do now is carry out more of these benefit take-up campaigns, targeting people not claiming their benefits as well as our increasing work with tenants experiencing problems with debt. Part of that will involve increased work in the community to prevent debt issues before they get out of control. “

The survey of Citizen’s Advice Bureaux painted a worrying picture of people struggling to meet their basic living costs, such as utility, telephone and council tax bills.

In addition, many households are battling to cope with mortgage hikes. Wolverhampton saw the fifth highest mortgage debt change in the UK according to credit reference agency Experian.

South Staffordshire Housing Association owns and manages more than 5,000 homes in Staffordshire and Shropshire. The association has a dedicated team of welfare benefit and debt advisors on hand to help tenants deal with any financial problems they may face.

The service has been running for more than six years and over that time, counsellors have helped hundreds of people get back on an even keel and claim more than £300,000 last year alone in additional benefits for customers who were unaware they were entitled to more.

If you are South Staffordshire Housing Association tenant and would like to talk to someone about money worried, call free from a landline on 0800 096 8690.

The Stafford and Stone CAB is also on hand to help local residents. It can be reached on 01785 242524.

Top tips for keep your finances under control

1. Plan your spending across the year.
2. Shop around to get the best deals.
3. Do not borrow more than you can afford.
4. If you do get into financial problems, seek advice.
5. Prioritise your debts.
6. If you do experience difficulties with payments, speak to your creditors.

(Released 20th March 2008.)

For more information on our Advice and Support Service download our leaflet: Advice and Support Leaflet