Social housing providers in South Gloucestershire have partnered up for a series of ‘speed-dating for houses’ events, to help their tenants move. Merlin Housing Society, Knightstone Housing Association, Sovereign Housing Association and Solon South West Housing, are holding the events to help people affected by Welfare Reform. The three events will bring people who want or need to move home
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Work has begun on a £20m project to improve 1,000 homes in South Gloucestershire. Merlin Housing Society is carrying out external improvements to most of its non-traditional housing stock to make them warmer and cheaper to heat. The first phase of work involves 48 properties in Cadbury Heath. Project manager Richard Hopkins said: “It’s great to get underway with this
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South Gloucestershire’s housing construction sector is performing well despite challenging economic conditions, new figures reveal. Data published in South Gloucestershire Council’s annual Residential Land Survey show that between April 2011 and March 2012, 957 new homes were completed in the district, an increase of 195 (20 per cent) on the previous year. Of these, 863 were new build dwellings with
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Merlin Housing Society has completed a £7.6m deal to buy 121 properties from Home Group. It’s the second multi-million pound acquisition in just over two months for Merlin following the purchase of 33 properties from Magna Housing Association at the end of May. As well as adding to the 8,000 properties the association owns in South Gloucestershire, these acquisitions see
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Communities across South Gloucestershire are to benefit from a £640K share of the district’s £2.1m New Homes Bonus allocation. The New Homes Bonus is a Government scheme that match-funds the additional council tax raised for new homes and empty properties brought back into use, with an additional amount for affordable homes, for the following six years. At the recent council
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Fine wines and tasty cheeses are on offer to Merlin Housing Society residents who offer their suggestions on how the society can improve. Merlin’s Community Investment Team is inviting residents to a special wine and cheese tasting event at the start of December. And while residents are sampling the tasty treats, staff will be asking them their views on Merlin’s
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A newly-elected councillor and former Army tank commander has called for Armed Forces personnel to be given priority when affordable homes are allocated. Ben Stokes was elected in May onto South Gloucestershire Council as Conservative councillor for Boyd Valley. He previously served in the Queen’s Dragoon Guards of the British Army, who are currently on tour in Helmand Province in
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SG Homes is a new social lettings agency run by South Gloucestershire Council offering a property management service which helps introduce landlords and tenants to each other. The council-run agency has been set up in response to demand from landlords with empty properties which they would like us to manage on their behalf. We are also looking to attract more
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Local Conservative councillors and Green Belt campaigners have criticised confirmation that a future Labour Government would reintroduce regional housing targets. The Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) were a spectacular bureaucratic failure representing an affront to local democracy yet also proving ineffective in getting houses built – house building fell to the lowest level since 1924. The South West RSS proposed 32,800
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Merlin Housing Society is extending its housing office opening hours after listening to residents’ views. From the week beginning Monday 2nd May, Merlin’s three housing offices will be open for residents to pop in from 8:30am – 5pm, Monday – Friday. And on Mondays residents will be able to phone their housing office until 6:30pm. The six month pilot of
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