Blakeney Neighbourhood Housing Society (Blakeney)

Entry categories: Housing Associations | Charitable Organisations

BLAKENEY NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSING SOCIETY
A charity incorporated as an Industrial & Provident Society under the reference number 12945R

Registered office: co Blakeney Downs House, Morston Road, Blakeney, NR25 7BG
The Blakeney Neighbourhood Housing Society was founded by Mrs Norah Clogstoun in 1946 with the purchase of a terrace of five cottages. By 1951 the Society had acquired 36 cottages but the income - mainly from rents but also some grants and donations -was not enough to maintain the properties. Between 1953 and 1960 10 cottages were sold, one to a sitting tenant, and sales and conversions of two into one reduced the stock to 22 and this total remained unchanged until 1985. In 1979 fifteen of the Society's houses had been added to the official list of buildings of historical andor architectural interest. The John Wallace bequest of 10 cottages in 1985 brought five more.

During 1989 the BNHS, in collaboration with the North Norfolk District Council and the parish councils, carried out a housing need survey in the six villages the Society aims to serve. This confirmed a continuing requirement for affordable rented homes. Approaches to North Norfolk District Council met with a positive response and this was taken as encouragement to continuing efforts. However, the Council failed to convince the Department of the Environment that it should channel funds to an association not registered with the Housing Corporation. An alternative to registration was for the BNHS to develop jointly with a registered housing association.

During 1989 the Society opened discussions with Broadland Housing Association. Based in Norwich it was already active in North Norfolk. Like BNHS, Broadland has charitable status. Collaboration with Broadland led to acquisition of the Society's first houses in Cley-next-the-Sea. The Society always intended to extend its activities to adjoining villages - that's the point of Neighbourhood in its title. In 1990 the Society launched its biggest appeal for funds since 1956. In partnership with Broadland the Society acquired the freehold of four cottages in Durrants Row and a 125 year lease to Broadland enabled them to attract the government grant. The appeal raised £85,000 in two years and, as this money was then not needed for Durrants Row, it enabled the Society to purchase two other cottages in Cley village. In 1999 another appeal was launched for £50,000. The target was reached which, together with a very generous anonymous donation, enabled us to buy two former Council houses.

The total number of properties today stands at 43 cottages in management. We control more than one third of the social housing in Blakeney.

The waiting list, which is open to people born and brought up in Cley, Morston, Langham and Salthouse, as well as in Blakeney and Wiveton, is currently just under twenty, and some of these applicants are in urgent housing need.

In 2007 the BNHS was honoured to win the Queen's Award for Voluntary Organisations, Norfolk Branch. As the citation declares the success of the group is evident from its 60 year history of effective management, its increasing housing stock, its ability to provide good appropriate housing and its success in attracting the on-going support over the same period of time of the community it serves.

BNHS has served three generations of local people. With the continued support of the community and visitors, it is ready to serve future generations equally well.

Donations received go to buy more properties to rent to local families and extensions to existing cottages. All administrative and maintenance costs are covered by the rents.

A full history of the Society is available from Judith Paxton 01263.740333 at a cost of £3.50 including postage and packing.