Our History
Oak Tree Housing Association Ltd was formed in April 2001 as a result of the merger of Bow Farm Housing Association and James Watt Housing Association. Victoria Housing Association then joined the new organisation at the end of June 2001.
The three associations chose to come together for a variety of different reasons but primarily to create an organisation which is stronger than the sum of its parts and one that will have an effective long-term future.
In January 2012 Cloch Housing Association agreed in principle to enter into a constitutional partnership with Oak Tree Housing Association by becoming a subsidiary of the Association within a new group structure. We have been working since January to put the partnership in place and this work is now complete.
We are a founder member of the Inverclyde Common Housing Register. We have recently branched out into private sector letting and formed a partnership with Inverclyde Council to bring empty private sector properties back into use through the Empty Homes Initiative funding.
Oak Tree Housing Association is very performance orientated with Service Delivery its main focus and increasingly involving tenants and residents in its decision-making processes.
The Association owns and manages approximately 1740 houses throughout Inverclyde and factors or provides services for a further 1,000 owner occupiers.
Over the past 24 years Oak Tree Housing Association has been involved in 54 development projects. The total investment to date has been approximately £109.2m and the programme has catered for a variety of tenures. At 75%, social housing is the largest tenure, however, the programme has also provided accommodation for low cost home ownership and outright sale on a shared equity basis.
Work has involved refurbishment, conversion, newbuild and demolition. Wider action involvement was also significant in the development of a community centre in the Branchton Social Inclusion Partnership area. In fact, the regeneration of previously designated Social Inclusion Partnership areas had been the main focus of the Associations development activities in recent years. Development of these areas placed much emphasis on sustainability, energy efficiency and community involvement and the work that has been carried out in Branchton, Wren Road and Grieve Road is a credit to the Association and our development partners. This has helped to provide sustainable energy efficient affordable homes for 240 tenants and sharing owners.
Past achievements include the refurbishment of 57 closes in the West Station and Town Centre areas of Greenock. New build which accounts for 62% of the Associations total development programme has, over the years, provided a healthy mix of flats, and cottages. In addition, a number of special needs facilities have been provided and these have helped people with learning disabilities to live a healthy life in the local community rather than remain in hospital care. The Association also built a Woman's Aid Refuge and this has been a great asset for the community in helping to address domestic abuse issues.
Development activity remains closely linked with current local authority and government priorities for housing in Inverclyde. The latest project completed by the Association was a 14 unit newbuild development at Earnhill Road. Consideration is presently being given to a second phase development of this site to produce a further 14 cottage units for social rent.
Communication has been the key to our success and the Association would like to thank all of the stakeholders who have been involved in our projects. Their commitment is paramount and we will continue to involve them in all aspects of our future development activities.
The Association is managed by a Committee of Management of 15 members and operates currently through four sub-committees as follows:
Development/Technical Services Sub-Committee
Housing Services Sub-Committee
Finance, Staffing & General Purposes Sub-Committee
Group Audit Sub-Committee
All Sub Committees meet on a quarterly basis with the Group Audit Committee having 3 meetings in the year.