Garrion People’s Housing Co-operative
Garrion People’s Housing Co-operative was established by local tenants who were dissatisfied with the service they were receiving from their landlord. The original aim of the Cooperative was to deliver an improvement programme.
The Cooperative was registered with Scottish Homes on the 3rd September 1990 when it took ownership of 140 flats from Motherwell District Council in Wishaw.
GPHC’s Aims
- To provide the best quality affordable homes possible;
- To ensure a mix of different homes for different people to meet the needs and aspirations of the local community;
- To manage and maintain our homes efficiently and effectively to give the best value for money.
As at September 2011 the Cooperative has 145 share members. Tenants may apply to become members of the Cooperative. Membership costs £1 and membership of new tenants is approved by the Management Committee.
Track Record
Between 1991 and 1995 a total of 148 flats were improved and 8 properties sold. In addition to this 15 New Build amenity flats for the elderly were built.
In 1995, the Cooperative entered into a partnership with Forgewood Housing Cooperative for development services. This partnership is still in operation today although the terms are now more extensive.
In 1999, GPHC completed another 44 new build houses in the Gowkthrapple area and in 2001 achieved a stock transfer from Communities Scotland of 28 sheltered Houses in Overtown.
By 2009, Garrion People's Housing Co-op had built 37 further new homes for rent at Hopefield Gardens. Dawn Homes also constructed 12 new homes sold by the Co-op on behalf of the Scottish Government through the New Supply Shared Equity Scheme (NSSE). The remaining s6 properties in the development were sold directly by Dawn Homes. The Co-op now manages 255 properties for rent, and also provides a factoring service for another 34 properties.
In 2009, the Co-op was awarded £835,000 from the Big Lottery to build a new £2.5million community facility in the centre of Gowkthrapple. The project was also funded by Garrion People's Housing Co-op, the Scottish Government, North Lanarkshire Council and the Clydesdale Bank. CentrePoint opened in May 2011 and hosts Garrion People's Housing Co-op as well as North Lanarkshire Council Housing staff from the area. CentrePoint also provides a local shop, as well as Zumba, Yoga and Tae Kwan Do classes. Pre and after school care is also in place within the building and other local services such as Routes to Work, a Café and Food Co-op have been in CentrePoint and it is expected that other local amenities will use the facility to benefit the Gowkthrapple community.
The Co-operative in conjunction with Forgewood Housing Co-operative in Motherwell is involved in an innovative staff sharing agreement, which secures the independence of each organisation while at the same time limits the costs and duplication of resources.
Contact Us
Garrion People's Housing Co-operative LtdCentrePoint
70 Smith Avenue
WISHAW
ML2 0LD
Tel No : 01698 264670
Fax No 01698 357209
Email: enquiries@gphc.org.uk
Website: www.gphc.org.uk