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North East housing association announces takeover of 1,800-home estate
Karbon Homes has announced it will take over the 1,800-home Byker Estate from Byker Community Trust (BCT) following a five-year partnership arrangement.
The organisations said they have been working together successfully in a cost-sharing partnership since July 2016 and the transfer of engagements will bring accelerated investment into the estate between this year and 2029.
The landlords entered into partnership talks in September last year and have now received backing from 94% of customers and stakeholders via a poll earlier this year.
Karbon will see its total stock grow to around 28,000 homes with the addition of the Grade II-listed Byker Estate in Newcastle upon Tyne.
A new BCT committee, consisting of up to 12 members, will include local people as well as a minimum of four customers responsible for overseeing the quality of services delivered by Karbon.
The management area will continue to be called Byker Community Trust, the local office and colleagues have stayed on site, and all of the housing services in the estate will continue to be delivered by Karbon.
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Paul Fiddaman, chief executive of Karbon, said: “I am pleased to formally welcome Byker Community Trust into the Karbon family after a successful partnership over the past five years.
“At Karbon, we are very focused on the individual communities we serve and taking a local and estate-led approach is a valuable model that works incredibly well in Byker. We will be gaining new insights, skills and experience from the BCT team and we are excited to have them join us and help us in our ambitions to provide customers with a strong foundation for life.”
Michelle Bell, previously director of property and development at BCT, has been appointed as assistant director of Byker community and will be responsible for managing the Byker Estate.
Ms Bell said: “I am delighted to be joining Karbon Homes and continuing to deliver the improvements that customers asked for and the strategic objectives for Byker.
“Karbon has a great track record for delivering excellent services to their customers and shaping strong and sustainable places for communities. With further investment, I’m excited to see the estate’s transformation over the coming years.”
