News from ASRA Greater London Housing Association
4 APRIL 2008
ASRA Greater London Housing Association has embraced a novel approach to providing short-term affordable housing in the capital.
ASRA has linked up with specialist commercial and industrial ‘house-sitting’ company Camelot Property Protection which is providing 12 ‘guardians’ to live at the International House development in Woolwich before work starts to create 123 new affordable apartments.
The guardians include teachers and nurses, the ‘key workers’ who so often find it difficult to afford to live in the capital. However, through this arrangement, Camelot Property Protection is giving them the opportunity to do just that by charging them rent at far lower than market value.
The arrangement offers other advantages for ASRA, with major cost savings over the use of on-site security, freeing up funds to channel into development work. Meanwhile the fact that the development in Brookhill Road, currently a hostel, is continually occupied, serves to deter potential criminal activity on the site.
Issues such as fire prevention, safety, access, and maintenance of the building are also being managed by Camelot, providing a complete turnkey solution for ASRA.
Mukhtar Latif, LHA-ASRA Group Development Director, commented: "There is often a significant time lag between the acquisition of sites and the start of development work, while plans are finalised and approved and contractors put in place. This means that perfectly good, sound buildings are left empty and can fall prey to vandalism, which creates further delay in delivering the affordable homes targeted.
"This scheme allows key workers to benefit from low rent and a central location, and shows our commitment to finding new ways to deliver affordable housing. It’s certainly something which we will consider extending to other schemes."
John Mills, Director (UK) at Camelot Property Protection, added: "Our service meets a need that has existed for many years and which has affected many communities. We are creating a win-win scenario for both organisations such as ASRA and our ‘guardians’ who would otherwise never be able to afford to live in London."