NEWS RELEASE Fraserburgh learning house aims to bridge the ‘digital divide’ The Rt Hon Alex Salmond, First Minister and MP for Banff and Buchan, performed the official opening of Fraserburgh’s new Learning House today (October 22, 2007) The Learning House, which is part of the Tenants First Housing Co-operative affordable housing development on High Street, Fraserburgh, aims to bridge the digital divide by offering people informal and flexible learning opportunities with free access to computers. The Fraserburgh Learning House project is operated by Opportunity Gateway, and funded by Tenants First Housing Co-operative, Scottish Enterprise Grampian, Communities Scotland and Aberdeenshire Literacy Partnership. It will be managed by Aberdeen Foyer. Speaking at the opening, Mr Salmond said, “I’m delighted to be in Fraserburgh today to mark the opening of this new development. “Everyone in Scotland should be able to have a secure, warm home at a cost they can afford. The Scottish Government appreciates that there is a clear link between a healthy community and the availability of decent quality of housing for all. This fantastic development offers this as well as providing access for people to engage in much needed learning opportunities.” The Learning House is part of a £2.1 million affordable housing development pioneered by Tenants First. In addition to the Learning House, the development comprises of a sheltered housing complex with 20 flats, a landscaped courtyard area, private car parking and a further six terraced houses situated to the rear of the 2.4 acre site. Sandy Murray, chief executive of Tenants First and chairman of Opportunity Gateway commented: “The opening of the Learning House marks the completion of this affordable homes development in Fraserburgh. The Learning House is somewhere where anyone of any age can drop in and take advantage of the learning opportunities available to them. It gives parents, children, older people, and even younger school leavers access to learning in an informal environment. It’s a great opportunity for us to help those who wish to do so, to get back into learning and restore their self confidence. Continuing, Sandy said, “The entire development includes sheltered housing, residential housing and of course the Learning House. The design solution aims to enhance the prosperity of the area, breathing new life into a brown-field gap site by integrating the development within the existing landscape of the High Street.” Ken Milroy, chief executive of Aberdeen Foyer, who will manage the Learning House on behalf of the partners, said: “The Learning House has been deliberately designed like a home, we find the domestic-style and informal, friendly environment is more welcoming and less intimidating than formal education opportunities. The idea is that people should feel comfortable to come along for free tuition at times that suit them. “Existing Learning Houses in Peterhead and Aberdeen have surpassed targets for supporting people into work and further learning, providing an effective service to everyone in the community, reaching people who may never have considered any type of learning and improving their employment prospects.” Adding to this, Dr Ian Heywood, director of growing business and skills at Scottish Enterprise Grampian, said: "We work with a range of partners to help people access learning opportunities and develop skills which mean they can get into employment and play a full and valuable role in society. "SE Grampian has invested in the Fraserburgh Learning House because we know the real difference the environment can make to encourage people and develop their confidence and capabilities.'' The Tenants First affordable homes development on Fraserburgh’s High Street has a total of 26 homes, all of which were designed by Michael Gilmour Associates. All of the homes feature high levels of energy efficiency and sustainability. A high specification of insulation aims to reduce energy consumption, and passive solar heat panels, where appropriate, will help to reduce heating costs. Tenants First is Britain’s largest housing co-operative. Based in Aberdeen, it has more than 1,200 properties in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and parts of Angus. Tenants First is a non-profit making organisation owned and run by its members for the benefit of members. October 22, 2007 ends For further information: Kerry Rohan The PR Partnership Tel 01224 588900 Mobile 07809650017 kerry@prpartnership.co.uk Ken McEwen The PR Partnership Tel 01224 588900 Mobile 07768105449 ken@prpartnership.co.uk ISSUED ON BEHALF OF TENANTS FIRST HOUSING CO-OPERATIVE BY THE PR PARTNERSHIP (SCOTLAND) LTD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Facts and Figures Tenants First High Street development in Fraserburgh Site • The site is on the north side of the High Street, within the identified town centre of Fraserburgh. The site was previously derelict, having been a cinema, until demolished some years ago. • The site is relatively flat and can be described as a brownfield ‘gap’ site within a town centre location. There is only one frontage to the site, that of which faces onto High Street. The Development The development, pioneered by Tenants First Housing Co-operative, includes: • A sheltered housing complex comprising of 20 flats. The sheltered flats are between 47.5 and 53.5 sq.m in area and are designed for two persons. Four of the flats are specifically designed for disabled use. All flats are fully accessible with lift access. Two of the flats have balcony access with south facing orientation over the High Street. • Six terraced houses with south facing conservatories to the rear of the sheltered housing development. These start at 73.5 sq.m in area, with options for two-bedroom up to four person family homes. • The infill block is four storeys high with a mansard roof and dormer windows to reflect the existing neighbouring tenement to the right hand side of the street elevation. There is an office, laundry and reception area to the ground floor. A common room ‘sit-outerie’ is located on the fifth floor of the development in order to provide views over Fraserburgh and out to sea for the residents. • The Learning House has 6 computers available for use in house and there is a low learner to support worker ratio. Participants can study IT programmes including ECDL, Keybytes, driving theory, and various demand led courses e.g. First Aid. (Please see further details to follow) The development has a courtyard that has been designed to be good quality hard and soft landscaping to maximise the amenity for the houses and rear facing flats. The site can only be accessed from the High Street through secure metal gates, remote controlled and electronically operated, to provide a secure environment for the tenants. Energy Efficient • The windows on the development have been designed to maximise light within the living spaces of the dwellings, particularly the south. As such the south facing windows to the sheltered housing are full height and the houses have south facing conservatories. • The terraced homes are highly insulated with conservatories providing passive solar heat gain to help reduce heating costs in the winter. • The construction of the scheme is sustainable with a high specification of insulation to reduce energy consumption and passive solar heat gain where appropriate. The Learning House The Fraserburgh ‘Learning House’ is the fifth such venture in the North East of Scotland. The centre provides training and education in a relaxed environment with the aim of providing clients the skills to re-enter full time employment. The ‘Learning House’ incorporates computer suite, office, kitchen and sitting room within the footprint of 90 sq.m. Thanks to the design of the learning house, it is possible that in the future the units can be converted into two flats that can be incorporated to the sheltered housing complex, if required. Learning House statistics • Over 600 individuals have used the Learning House, previously based in the Fraserburgh business centre since March 2006. • In partnership with Working for Families there are 14 computers in the homes of families with children. • Since April 2007, 40 individuals have enrolled on to FE courses (full and part time) • Since April 2007, 34 learners have moved into employment (24 sustained employment for more than 1 month) • The Learning House works with Community Learning & Development, Working for Families, Careers Scotland, JobcentrePlus, Aberdeenshire Council, Banff & Buchan College, LEAD and various other agencies and providers. • The Learning House also plays an active role in various community groups and local regeneration initiatives. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tenants First Background Established In 2000 through merger between six separate housing co-operatives and their not-for-profit management company, Property Partners. Key objective To offer quality, affordable housing that is managed by the co-operatives members for the benefit of its members. To promote social inclusion, equality and encourage the development of communities. Status Not for profit organisation, operating as an innovative business that provides high standards of quality housing and maintains financial viability. History and Ownership The six original housing co-operatives were set up in response to the Housing Act 1988. The merger of the Scottish Special Housing Association with the Housing Corporation in Scotland then formed Scottish Homes. One of the established, long term aims of Scottish Homes was to encourage tenants to adopt alternative management or ownership arrangements using mechanisms such as Tenants Choice or Large Scale Voluntary Transfer. Scottish Homes tenants in Grampian responded to this change in housing policy by deciding to form Fully Mutual Housing Co-operatives designed to give the tenants control over their homes and the community. Since each of the co-operatives were likely to be too small to be self sufficient it was agreed they would enter into a unique partnership arrangement and set up a non profit management company (originally known as Grampian Homes) to undertake all the management, maintenance and administration on their behalf. The management company later become an Industrial and Provident Society and changed its name to Property Partners. The Housing Co-operatives were registered as approved Landlords with Scottish Homes and the first transfers began in 1992 and ended in 1996. All the houses transferred under the Tenants Choice legislation and this was the largest such transfer using this mechanism in Scotland. Structure With over 1,200 properties in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Angus, Tenants First Housing Co-operative is the largest fully mutual housing co-operative in Britain. Fully mutual means that the co-operative is controlled by its members and is thus wholly tenant controlled. Tenants First is committed to ensuring the co-operative is managed efficiently and allows tenants to have control over this at a local level. To encourage this Tenants First has six Tenant Management Boards (TMBs) that account for the various geographical areas covered by the Co-operative. TMBs are elected by tenants in their area. They are strongly focused on local issues and work towards ensuring that the tenants have strong and effective communities as well as good quality, well maintained homes. Membership of the Co-operative’s Committee of Management and Sub Committees is primarily made up of TMB members. • The Committee of Management has overall responsibility for the management of the Co-operative and operates at a strategic level. • The Sub Committees cover all areas of the Co-operative’s services and work at a more operational level, handling issues such as performance and policy development. The Committee of Management, Sub Committees and Tenant Management Boards meet regularly and receive only expenses for the time and effort they put in. Tenants First has assets of over £20 million. The Co-operative employs staff to manage the day-to-day running of the organisation; however the management structure ensures that tenants remain fully in control of the Co-operative itself.