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Tenants Mr Grahame, Mr Gatt and Mr and Mrs McNab celebrate the transfer of Pensioners Row and John Smith Place from Margaret Blackwood HA to Fyne Homes Ltd with Colin Renfrew, Depute Director, Fyne Homes, and Peter Mountford-Smith, CE of MBHA
Margaret Blackwood Housing Association’s 15-year presence in the Kintyre peninsula came to an end on Monday, 3rd August with the formal handover of its properties in Tarbert and in Campbeltown to Fyne Homes.
There are ten properties at Pensioners Row in Campbeltown and eleven at John Smith Place in Tarbert. Both developments include properties designed especially for disabled people as well as for people with general housing needs.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Peter Mountford-Smith, Margaret Blackwood’s Chief Executive, said, “Since the 1970’s, we have been developing homes designed and adapted for disabled people, integrated with mainstream housing.
“We are very glad that we were able to develop these schemes because they helped to meet a pressing need. However, Kintyre is quite some distance from our other housing stock. We therefore decided that it would be better to concentrate our efforts in other areas, where we are continuing to develop.
“We have been consulting closely with the tenants over the last couple of years about how their interests could be best served. We have looked at a number of alternatives and it became clear that Fyne Homes would be able to provide good quality, local service delivery. So we talked to them about transferring the schemes.
“Fyne Homes have been involved in the discussions from an early stage and have made a compelling case to our tenants, who have voted overwhelmingly in favour of this transfer.”
Colin Renfrew, Depute Director of Fyne Homes, said, “Fyne Homes are delighted to have acquired these properties in Campbeltown and Tarbert from Margaret Blackwood Housing Association. We already have stock in both these areas and our locally based Housing and Maintenance staff, who work from the nearby Campbeltown and Lochgilphead offices, service them.
“We aim to provide the tenants with a first class service and will be using, where possible, Argyll and Bute based contractors.”
Asked whether the transfer meant a reduction in accessible housing in the rural west of Scotland, Peter Mountford-Smith said, “Not at all. Fyne Homes have been happy to agree to continue to makes these homes available for disabled people in the future, so the amount of accessible housing will remain the same as if we had retained ownership. This is a good example of collaboration between housing associations and shows how flexible we can all be in providing the best housing and services for our tenants.
“We are actively looking for opportunities to work with other associations where our accessible housing design knowledge and experience can be of help.”