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The Talacre Road block of flats set for auction |
Same old storeys? Housing association in Town Hall-style auction
A HOUSING Association taking government cash to build new social housing on a site in Kentish Town is selling off a block of modern purpose-built flats just 200 metres away.
One Housing Group, which controls Chalk Farm-based Community Housing Association and its 4,000 social houses, is selling five flats in Talacre Road at auction next week at a guide price of £900,000.
The not-for-profit company said in a statement: “We have an asset management strategy that includes the disposal of identified properties, with proceeds being used to improve the association’s existing stock and to meet the targets set by the Government to have all our properties complying with the Decent Homes Standard by December 2010.”
In a process familiar from other sell-offs – including the auctioning of council homes by the Camden Council – the block will be sold “vacant possession on completion”, which means empty. A private landlord will be free to let or sell the separate flats off on the open market.
The sale has raised eyebrows among neighbours around Talacre Gardens, where Community Housing Association is a partner in the contentious Dalby Street development.
It stands to gain 19 social housing flats on a site 200 metres across the park from Talacre Road, using £2million of Housing Corporation funds – effectively a grant from the government.
Chairman of the Friends of Talacre Gardens Peter Cuming said: “This is a sale of modern, purpose-built flats – virtually new homes. Yet on the other side of Talacre Gardens the same housing group is intending to build new flats with taxpayers’ money. One begins to wonder if there is a pattern here. What assurance does anyone have that the new housing won’t be sold off as the Town Hall sells off homes it is obliged to release a detailed explanation of policy and audited accounts. In contrast, the loss of social housing by housing associations is barely recorded.”
A One Housing spokeswoman said: “Our asset management strategy forms part of our internal business plan and we are not able to disclose any further details.”
No senior executive was available for comment.
One Housing Group recently took over Arlington House homeless hostel and is the social landlord which will build the affordable housing element of the massive King’s Cross development – a total of 660 homes. |
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Comment:
THIS is typical of Housing Associations, then next thing will be Housing Associations bullying and harassing people out of their homes, just to sell them off.
Sasah Watson |
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