our story2009 | 2010

Arnold Tasker shares a joke with fellow residents at the Heath View extra care scheme

Our Story

Chairman and Chief Executive’s foreword 4

increased investment in existing property 6

creating great places to live 10

increased community safety measures 14

further supporting the vulnerable 18

further supporting resident involvement 22

increased creation of local jobs 26

increased supply and choice of homes 30

how do we measure up? 34

looking to the future 38

If a story is not about the hearer,he will not listen. A great andinteresting story is abouteveryone or it will not last.John Steinbeck, Author

Welcome to this year’s annual review.2009/10 was our first year of operationas a Neighbourhood investor. When wecreated Plus Dane Group in this waywe set ourselves the mission of doingeverything we can and using every assetwe have to improve quality of life, choiceand opportunity for the people ourorganisation was set up to serve.

Our tenants and residents set the sevencorporate objectives that drive us forwardand this year’s review is designed to tell youreal stories against each of these promises.The review is not full of facts and figures about

Chairman and Chief Executive’s foreword – Our Story

Chief Executive Ken Perrymeets customer Mrs McDonaldduring a ‘Beat the Chill’ winterwarmth campaign

Plus Dane GroupChairman, John Pollard

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Plus Dane, it is full of the peoplethat matter, the real people feeling thedifference our Neighbourhood investorapproach is making.

If the numbers are important toyou, our formal accounts areposted on our website atwww.neighbourhoodinvestor.comYou will see from these that despite thedifficult economic climate, we achievedgood financial performance and havea strong capital and revenue structuregoing forward.

We continued to grow as an organisationover the year, with over 16,000 homes inownership and management acrossMerseyside and Cheshire and a turnoverof over £52 million. Significant projectsundertaken ranged from purchasing ordeveloping over 700 homes and creatingemployment opportunities through our InEnvironmental Services (INES) scheme,to delivering a number of support

schemes aimed at vulnerable customersand enhancing resident involvement andengagement through a major £32 millionrepairs and maintenance contract.

However, we are all aware that the worldis currently a volatile place and we seegood financial performance this year ashelping with the even more challengingtimes to come.

Plus Dane is not however about securinggrowth as an end in itself, but if it makesus stronger and doesn’t adversely affectour mission, then it can play an importantpart of our role as a Neighbourhoodinvestor, enabling us both to increasethe resources we put back into theneighbourhoods we serve and delivereven better services.

Throughout the year we continued todevelop and build on these aims,focusing our capacity and investmenton ensuring that we deliver our sevenpromises through a wide range of work.

Our Story highlights just some examplesof how this work is helping to improvepeople’s lives in different ways andcreate positive change across theneighbourhoods in which we work.

This year’s strong performance has beenachieved by board members, staff andtenants and residents working hardtogether for a common purpose. It is thestrength of this team work that willcontinue to make a real difference in theyear ahead.

John Pollard Ken PerryChairman Chief Executive

Our Story highlights just some examplesof how this work is helping to improvepeople’s lives in different ways and create positive change across theneighbourhoods we in which work.

our Ni promise

increased investment in existing property

Diane McLoughlin

Wife, mother to two children,

local artist and lecturer

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Plus Dane Groupis all about the future.

So when the chance came totake part in a competition to turna worn-out old property into apioneering eco-friendly homeof tomorrow we jumped at it.

The Technology Strategy Board’s£17 million Retrofit for the Futurecompetition aims to demonstratehow green technologies canmake existing homes moreenergy efficient and reducecarbon emissions.

Plus Dane Group’s project is theonly scheme in Merseyside toreceive funding and one of onlyseven in the North West.

We secured more than£107,000 from the scheme,which will transform theVictorian end-terrace propertyin Wavertree, Liverpool.

And, after a competition to findsomeone to live in the city’s mosteco-friendly home captured theimagination of the media, a familyof four are now due to move in.

Local artist and lecturerDiane McLoughlin, her husbandDavid Cave and their two childrenElla and Jimmy are not whatyou would call eco-warriors.

Their job is simply to live asthey would elsewhere whileenergy experts monitor the waythe property transforms theirenergy use.

“We recycle and have an interestin the environment but we’renot what you’d call tree huggers,”says Diane, 35. “But since we’vegot involved in this project,we’ve been so impressed bythe thinking behind it.

“Going green shouldn’t bedifficult to do, if people are goingto change for the better then itshould be easy to understand.”

Diane and David, 39, who runshis own engineering company,have been living with theirchildren in a one-bedroomflat in central Liverpool. Theyare delighted with their newthree-bedroom home.

Heat testingon the Retrofitscheme

Project workgets underway

David Cave and daughter Ella

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The technology is designed to beas unobtrusive as possible, with muchof the energy savings coming frombespoke super-insulation panels,developed by timber-frame supplierMaple, and triple glazing throughout.

There’s also solar-powered waterheating, LED lighting, A-ratedappliances and a conservatorywhich heats air.

Diane is impressed by the technologybut is happier that her family will nowlive in a beautiful home with space forthe children to play and - what’s she’slonged for most - a dining table wherethey can have dinner together.

That the family should have vastlyreduced energy bills isn’t bad either.

Understanding and implementingbest practice retrofitting of propertiesis key to reducing carbon emissionsfor the future.

The results from Retrofit for the Futurewill be shared to help provide clearfuture direction on making the UK’scurrent housing more energy efficient.

Diane, who along with her family areactive members of the project team,believes the project can kick-startthe redesign of the UK's socialhousing stock.

“If there’s going to be a real changein how we tackle climate changethen older homes will have to berefurbished, it’s not an option tojust demolish and rebuild,” she says.

“If it works, it is going to show theway forward. I think maybe Britainhas fallen behind Europe on thisissue so it’s great Plus Dane aredoing something about it.”

As part of the project, Diane has beenworking with 25 pupils from HeygreenCommunity Primary School, which is

opposite her new home, designingand building models of their ownversions of homes of the future.

“I was so impressed with theirknowledge of green issues. Thedanger is that the recession willmean green projects will be stopped,but children are clued up so we canbe optimistic.

“It’s like the way Plus Dane thinks- a free thinking attitude that’s opento new ideas.

“There’s a lot of new technology that’sprobably just round the corner so it’sright to start moving in that direction.”

It’s like the way Plus Dane thinks - a freethinking attitude that’s open to new ideas.

our Ni promise

creating great places to live

Martin Horne, with sister Joanne

Estate residents at the eco-friendly

Castlefields development

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The story of Castlefieldsis a story of hope.

An area that was once a bywordfor fragmentation and despair, it nowhas a shining future as Plus Dane’sinvestment in neighbourhoodspays off.

To date Plus Dane has invested morethan £23 million in the regenerationof the area.

Working with Halton Borough Council,the Homes and Communities Agency,Liverpool Housing Trust and the NorthWest Regional Development Agency,

Plus Dane is a key partner in amulti-million pound RegenerationMasterplan for the area.

But while the financial figures areimpressive, of more significance is theeffect on the people who live there.

Tenants like Chris Harrison.

Chris, 63, moved to the area with hisfamily in the 1960s and has seenCastlefields go from model village toone with many problems and nowback again.

“It was a great place to be at first,there were plenty of jobs, the pubswere full, there was a real partyatmosphere,” he says. “It was somuch better than the liveswe’d come from. There was anexpectation and optimism.”

But all this turned sour in the 1980sas thousands of jobs were lost inthe nearby industrial areas of Spekeand Halewood.

And as people left in search of work,drug dealers and despair moved in.

At one time Chris had three dealerson his ‘landing’ in the deck accessflats he compares now to “pigeoncages”. His girlfriend couldn’t standit and moved to London, taking theirson with her.

“It was intimidating living with dealersand addicts, police smashing doorsdown.” Chris adds.

Chris, an entertainer and talent bookerwho spent nine years in the Navy,moved into a new two-bedroomedhouse near his old home asregeneration began.

Resident andlocal entertainer,Chris Harrison

Martin and Joanne intheir eco-friendly home Old and new

properties asregenerationgets underway

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And as the work reaches its climax,he is full of praise.

“I’ve watched the metamorphosis,especially in the last year when it’sreally kicked in. Community spirithas started to develop again.

“This is what regeneration can do,it can give people hope.

“If the environment is right it canhave positive impact on lifepsychologically.”

Since 2004, nearly 900 deck-accessflats have been demolished (nearly400 by Plus Dane), and around 600new homes (nearly 300 by Plus Dane)have been developed.

It is people like Martin Horn, 41,and his sister Joanne, 40, who hasdisabilities, who are moving into themodern, eco-friendly properties.

Martin and his sister were left in afour-bedroomed house with bigbills and facilities that were unsuitablefor Joanne’s disabilities when theirfather died.

They are delighted with theirnew homes.

“When we walked in our eyes lit up.It’s ground floor entry, open and light,there’s a walk-in shower, it’seco-friendly and there’s smallerbills. It’s brilliant.

“There’s lots of little things likebike sheds and bin sheds that justmake everything more attractive,easy and green.

“Plus Dane have been with us everystep of the way, they helped sort outbills and transfer accounts when mydad died and it was all a bit muchfor me.”

The scheme will include a new villagesquare - due for completion in 2011 -with shops that Plus Dane is investingmore than £2 million in.

There will also be a new health centre,community centre, café and library.

Already a play area for childrenhas been completed and countlesshours of engagement projectswith local people are bearingsweet fruit, especially thoseinvolving young people andchallenging anti-social behaviour.

Plus Dane will have played a lead rolein recreating a green neighbourhoodwith a sustainable future.

“Plus Dane is working on every aspectof community contentment,” addsChris. “They are helping lift the selfesteem of people, people are alreadymore vibrant. I feel it personally.”

It was so much better than thelives we’d come from. There was an expectation and optimism.

our Ni promise

increased communitysafety measures

Ryan Hulme

Resident of Hungerford Road support accommodation

and now planning for a career in the Army

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Anti-social behaviour is oneof the trickiest challengeshousing associations face,but we are playing our partin driving it down.

Throughout Cheshire andMerseyside dedicated officersare engaging with tenants, localcouncils, the Police and otherpartners to develop a culturewhere bad behaviour is nottolerated and victims feelcomfortable asking for help.

Sometimes we have to get tough.

A vulnerable tenant in Alsager,was inviting people to hisproperty despite being warnedabout the neighbour nuisancethese visitors – known to policeas alcohol and drug users- were causing.

Many tenants, especially elderly,were intimidated by these peopleday and night.

Plus Dane had already evictedhis previous partner from one ofour other properties – a processthat costs us up to £30,000 – but

she then moved in with this manand brought along her pet snake!

The tenant, who uses awheelchair and relies on carersto visit him daily, was temporarilyput into respite care whilewe cleaned the property,working with the RSPCA totackle the snake - and tookout six injunctions to keeptrouble-causers away.

To date only one of them hasbeen breached - the perpetratorspent one night in custody andhasn’t been back since.

More success comes in ourpreventive work.

At Hungerford Road in Crewewe run an accommodation andsupport service for people aged16-24 that gives new hope tothose who find themselveshomeless at a vulnerable age,helping them steer away from alife of trouble.

Among them is Ryan, who after afalling out with his parents endedup without a home aged just 16.

ASB securitymeasuresget installed

Ryan Hulmein hisHungerford Roadaccommodation

Plus DaneWalton resident,Charles Clarke

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“It’s a very supportive environment;it’s helped to keep me out of trouble,”says Ryan who has now clocked upa series of achievements and plansto join the Army.

“If it hadn’t have been for this place,I would have ended up drifting, gettingin with bad sorts, getting into drugsor who knows what.”

Plus Dane also works with thoseaccused of anti-social behaviour,supporting them as they changetheir ways.

Charles Clarke of Walton, Liverpool,is one person who went through thisprocess, going from being a victim oftrouble to being seen as an aggressor.

Charles, 49, found out his son– also called Charles - had fallen inwith a gang, who were exploiting theteenager’s special needs. Despitebeing disabled himself, Charlesdecided to confront them.

“I dragged him away from them andthey didn’t like it, they started throwing

bricks and eggs at the house, tried toforce their way inside,” he says. “Thelast straw was when a brick camethrough the window, in a room inwhich my granddaughter was sitting.

“I went after them on my mobilityscooter, waving my walking stickat them.”

A neighbour saw Charles andreported him to the authorities,leading to a situation where hefaced the prospect of an anti-socialbehaviour order and the threat oflosing his tenancy.

“I never found out who reported mebut I’d like to thank them for all thegood things that have happenedsince,” says Charles who has beenmarried to Claire, 45, for 21 yearsand has two other sons.

“A housing officer from Plus Danecame to see me. I told him the fullstory and got all the help and supportI needed.

“They also realised my old housewasn’t suitable and helped me moveto a nice, two-bedroom bungalow inan area with great community spirit.”

Charles’ son is now out of thegangs and is being helped to findaccommodation with Plus Danewho will support his special needs.

Charles - along with other tenants ina similar position - helped set up afocus group with Plus Dane’sassistance, warning people of thedangers of retaliation to anti-socialbehaviour and positive ways toresolve conflicts.

“Despite my disability, I’m a tough andindependent character and can livewith getting picked on,” he adds.

“Others aren’t so lucky, so it’s greatPlus Dane is helping through worklike this.”

It’s a very supportive environment; it’s helped to keep me out of trouble.

our Ni promise

further supporting the vulnerable

Rachel Malcolm

Heath View extra care scheme resident

and retired nurse

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You may have an image inyour mind of what housing forolder people is like: Heath Viewwould change it.

The £5.9 million extra care scheme forretired people in Congleton opened inMarch and is setting the standard forfuture schemes to be judged by.

Visitors gasp at the high standard ofaccommodation and the range offacilities. Typically people joke thatthey want to move in straight away.

But what about the people wholive there now?

Among them is Rachel Malcolm, 85,who arrived a couple of months ago.

Rachel, a former nurse, was livingalone, but after cracking her spinein a fall came to stay with herdaughter in Congleton.

Determined not to be a burden on thefamily, Rachel was referred to HeathView and says now: “I’ve neverhad it so good.”

“I’m so very happy here,” she adds.“Everyone is so nice and it’s a lovelyplace. There’s always something onto do, I have a lovely apartment andview over the fields where boys playfootball and cricket.

“The staff here can’t do enough foryou, I really feel so lucky to have aplace like this to live out the rest ofmy life.”

Newly opened Heath View extracare scheme in Congleton Arnold Tasker chats

with neighbours

Heath View isofficially opened

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Rachel has settled in well andspeaks movingly about how lonelyand isolated she felt in her old home.She still misses her husband, Joseph,who died 18 years ago - on the daythe two of them had paid for a dreamholiday in Portugal – as well as hernine brothers and sisters who haveall now died.

She’s a mine of funny stories,which she enjoys sharing withother residents.

Among them is Heath View’sjoker-in-the-pack, Arnold Tasker, 79.

Arnold lived in the former St Mary’shome for the elderly that was knockeddown and replaced by Heath View.He was one of the first to move in and,as he sits in his luxury two-bedroomapartment looking out over hisbalcony, is fulsome in his praise.

“There was a lot of things wrong withSt Mary’s,” says the former milkmanand chemicals worker. “It was veryrun down, there were swarms of antsin the summer and very little space.

“Heath View is like a five-star hotel.Being here makes me very happy andI feel very lucky because they havethought of everything that an elderlyperson needs. You can’t fault PlusDane, they’ve done everything for us.”

Among the facilities on offer is 24-hourcare, a bistro, TV lounges, gamesrooms, internet suite, hair salon,laundry, health and well being suite,keep fit classes, arts and crafts days,landscaped gardens and much more.

There are 45 one-and-two bedroomedapartments with a full range ofsupport services that allow peopleto access care and help to maintaintheir independence and choiceand continue to play an active rolein the community.

Arnold is in no doubt that somethingspecial has been created.

“Coming here has given me a newlease of life,” he says with a broadsmile. “I lost my wife, then a long-termpartner. I thought I was going mad -at one point I was talking to the walls.

“Here I’ve made so many friends,I love to laugh and tell jokes andeveryone is so friendly and getson so well.”

The project, which received a£1.7 million grant from the Homesand Community Agency, was led bythe Plus Dane Group. Constructionwas carried out in partnership withJ&S Seddon (Building) Ltd. Residentswere fully involved in consultationsabout the design of the building andthe facilities on offer, making sure thefinished product was exactly whatthey wanted.

“It’s an amazing place, you onlyhave to look round it,” Arnold adds.“All homes for the elderly shouldbe like this one.”

Coming here has givenme a new lease of life.

our Ni promise

further supportingresident involvement

Des Finley

Plus Dane Group resident

and volunteer for the tenants’

repairs and maintenance committee

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“You don’t often have theresponsibility of decidingpeople’s jobs and lives, it wasonly after it was all over thatwe reflected on the enormityof it. But I feel we did the bestfor our fellow tenants - theywere the only people we hadin mind.”

So says Lillian Hazel, 67, ofSandbach, one of 12 Plus Danetenants who as a team awardeda £32 million repairs, gas andmaintenance service contract for7,000 properties in Liverpool.

Supporting resident involvementis at the heart of what Plus Danedoes.

Everything from the content ofour residents’ magazine to majorprocurement projects comes outof engagement with the peoplewe serve.

However, the case of themobilisation project was unique.

The contract for the repair andmaintenance of Plus Dane’sproperties on Merseyside wasup for renewal. Previouslythe work had been done by arange of local firms, who bidalongside other companiesfor the future business.

After listening to the views oftenants, Plus Dane decidedthat the best people to decidewho should provide propertyservices for tenants were thetenants themselves.

Twelve volunteers from thetenants’ repairs and maintenancecommittee gave up 250 daysof their time to read the 11shortlisted tenders, interview thecompeting teams, visit work sitesand call centres and speak toexisting customers of those firms.

It was quite a surprise for manyof the bidders who found theircarefully put-togetherpresentations picked over bypeople with a passionate stakein getting to the truth.

“Sometimes I could be quiteaggressive in my questions,especially if I thought peoplewere trying to hide things,” saysDes Finley, 68, of Liverpool.

“Picking the best team hadnothing to do with the monetaryside of things – it was whooffered the best service.

“Tenants want to know that ifsomeone comes to their homethey are going to do a good job,to have the tools to do the job

Volunteer,Lillian Hazelvisiting a callcentre

Volunteersfrom thetenants’repairs andmaintenancecommittee

Shaf Chouderey,committee chair

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quickly and do a quality job, theyhave to have confidence that workerswill respect their homes.

“I feel privileged that as a tenant I wasasked to take part in the selectionprocess. We got to pick the right teamto carry out the repairs to our homes - itwas vital that our voices were heard.”

After the exhaustive process was over,the 12 were unanimous in awarding thecontract to Plus Dane’s existing in-house trades team in Cheshire, whichcurrently enjoys a 98% satisfaction rateamong tenants in the county.

A new Plus Dane trades teamhas been formed in Liverpooland tenants are already noticingthe difference.

Dolores Martin, 71, of Liverpool 7,needed extensive work doing to herplumbing system. She said: “Twovery nice men came to do my repairs,they were both extremely pleasant,hard working, helpful and kept meinformed each step of the way onwhat they were doing.

“They completed the job very quicklyand left the place perfectly clean.I am 80% disabled and can feel veryvulnerable but they made me feel atease and gave an excellent service.”

The deal safeguards more than 60 jobsand 11 apprentice roles. Many of theprivate contractors, who previouslyworked on Plus Dane’s Merseysideproperties, have been given jobs in and

training to deliver Plus Dane’s promisesof quality, value for money and greatcustomer service.

Two local companies - Smiths SDand Penny Lane Builders - have alsobeen allocated work. Carefully selectedfirms - KHT Services and Kier SupportServices - will provide extra cover.

The deal also had the added bonus ofsaving Plus Dane more than £500,000in VAT with efficiency savings on topof that of £150,000.

This is money which can be usedto further increase investment inthe neighbourhoods we serve.

I feel privileged that as a tenant I wasasked to take part in the selectionprocess. We got to pick the right team to carry out the repairs to our homes - it was vital that our voices were heard.

our Ni promise

increased creation of local jobs

Philip Fitzgibbon

Plasterer, Plus Dane Group

in-house trades team

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Think of the recession.

Think of the men and women, thefamilies affected by loss of work.Think of the money involved, thestress of making ends meet.

The human cost.

In a time of economic austerity,when nothing is certain, Plus Danehas been one of the few businessesoffering hope.

A new deal to create an in-housetrades team for Merseysidesafeguarded 60 jobs and created11 apprentice roles.

It was people like Philip Fitzgibbon,28, who benefitted.

“My previous job was coming to anend and my girlfriend was pregnant,”he says. “I faced the prospect ofbeing a new father and on the dole.”

Philip, a plasterer, was just one of thedozens of local people offered workon the new Merseyside trades team.

“Everywhere else seems to be layingoff but Plus Dane have been taking onat the right time. Getting a secure jobtook a huge weight off my shoulders,”he says.

Another success story is Plus Dane’sIN Environmental Services (INES)Team.

Our work with the Future Jobs Fundand other partner organisations has

helped create local jobs for localpeople at just the right time.

INES, a thriving social enterprise,was originally set up and supportedby a Neighbourhood Renewal Fundgrant and considerable supportfrom Liverpool City Council to creatework for long-term unemployedpeople, those with vulnerabilitiesand ex offenders.

Based in Toxteth, an area of Liverpoolwith high levels of unemploymentand barriers to work, they specialisein cleaning up neighbourhoodsand turning eyesores into placesof community pride.

Part of their work involves volunteeringtheir services to improve the localenvironment, everything from cleaningup school grounds to providing free

INES FutureJobs Fund staffat work

Plus Dane Group in-housetrades team at work

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hanging baskets for everyonewho wants them.

Working with the Future Jobs Fund,the probation service and otherpartners like Liverpool City Council,they offer a lifeline to those who havelost hope.

“Our ethic is to try to get sociallyexcluded people into work,” explainsHead of Environmental Services,Joe Feeley.

“A lot of people come to us, they can’tread or write, they’ve got on the wrongside of the law for mistakes that younglads sometimes make, they may havea disability or come from a familywhere there have been generationsof unemployment.

“They come into interviews with theireyes down, chins in their chests, noexpectation that they’ll get the job.It’s up to us to draw these people out,

give them a chance, help them,mould them.

“In three months people can gofrom an undesirable member of thecommunity to a desirable one.They turn their lives round.”

One person who went throughthe process is James Brown, 25.

Jobless for over a year, the father oftwo finally managed to get back intoemployment through the Future JobsFund and INES.

“INES likes to employ local lads andI lived just round the corner,” saysJames, who has been working as anenvironmental ranger on gardens andlandscapes. “They do a lot of work inthis area, doing good jobs to make ita better place, so I was made up.

“If you look at some of the placeswe’ve worked on and think back to

what they used to be, we canreally say we’ve improved things,really made a difference.”

James, who is a big Liverpool FCsupporter and enjoys spendingtime playing football with his children,has picked up lots of new skills whileon the INES placement and islooking for work in the gardenmaintenance/environment trade.

One job that James is particularlyproud of is the work the INES teamdid on the Greenhouse Project, amulti-culture play and arts schemebased in Lodge Lane.

“The area was getting a bit run downso it gave me a lot of satisfaction tosee it given a new start, to see thekids playing there,” he adds.

Our ethic is to try and getsocially excluded people into work.

our Ni promise

increased supply andchoice of homes

Philip Brown

Shared ownership home owner

and full time Security Specialist

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When love goes wrong,nothing goes right.

Relationships break down everyday for all sorts of reasons, butwhile the pain of separation isoften hard to deal with, the smallmatter of homelessness can bea bitter pill to swallow too.

Many people find themselvesin a vulnerable position whenthey split with a partner. Financescan be a major worry, withprivate rents and property pricesbeyond the reach of most singlepeople, especially when childrenare involved.

Plus Dane has been increasingthe supply and choice of homesto deal with lifestyle changesjust like these. Two men – PhilipBrown and Geoff Scotton – areamong those benefitting.

28-year-old security specialistPhilip Brown was left feelingdecidedly insecure when along-term relationship brokedown six years ago and he wasforced to give up the home he

owned with his ex partner andmove back in with his parents.

“It was not ideal but the onlyoption,” he says. “I wanted toown a home but the housingmarket was going bananasand there was no way I couldafford to buy.”

As time went on Philip wasbeginning to think he’d neverfind the home he dreamedof until he came across thewww.homeshub.co.uk websiteand read about our sharedownership offers.

The scheme allows people to buya share of between 25%-75% tomove in. Customers typically laydown a smaller deposit thannormal and pay a reduced renton the remaining share, which isowned by a housing association.

You can buy more shares as youcan afford them and eventuallyown the whole property if youwant to. You are also free to sellthe share on the open market ifyou want to move on.

Customersattend a PlusDane GroupHome BuyerRoadshow

Geoff Scotton andhis son Alex at theirNetherton Home

Philip Brown settlesinto his new homein Ellesmere Port

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It suited Philip perfectly and he wasable to buy a newly built home onthe Great Hall development offCambridge Road in Ellesmere Port.

“I decided to sell my car and takethe plunge,” he says. “Without thishelp I wouldn’t be able to get onthe property ladder.

“It was a great feeling to get the keysand step through the door of my ownhome again after having to live withmy parents for so long.

“I finally feel as if I’m back on track.”

Geoff Scotton is someone else whofeels he has his life back under control.

After a divorce and the financial falloutthat followed, Geoff walked into ahome he had thought beyond his

reach – and his beaming smileshows how happy he is withthe choice he made.

Geoff, 40, is one of Plus Dane Group’sRent-to-HomeBuy customers, peoplewho want to own their own propertybut need time to save and plan.

For his two-bedroom home in HerefordDrive, Netherton, he has the option ofpaying rent - at around 20% less thanthe going market rate – for five yearswhile he decides whether buying isright for him.

But for Geoff – who shares his homewith his son Alex, 18 – the decisionwill be an easy one.

As he shows you around hisimmaculate home, the former

gardener who now helps find workfor jobless locals, talks of thepositive change to his life.

“I was going through a marriageseparation and had to find a newplace,” he says. “I’d come from a lifewhere I had a nice house, a garden- a lovely home. All of a sudden I waslooking at grotty bedsits because Icouldn’t afford to buy a home.

“If it wasn’t for HomesHub, I don’tknow what I’d have done. Beinghere is the best therapy I couldhave wished for.”

It was a great feeling to get thekeys and step through the door ofmy own home again after havingto live with my parents for so long.

HomesHub customer David Wrightmoves into his new home in Macclesfield

how do we measure up?

RSL/Local Authority

Cheshire East

Cheshire West & Chester

Halton

Knowsley

Liverpool

Sefton

St Helens

Staffordshire Moorlands

Warrington

Wirral

Planned CME*

Total

Plus Dane Group: 2008|11 Development Programme and Pipeline (as at end of March 2010)

*CME: Continuous Market Engagement (all areas)

Units

282

163

202

11

212

152

6

9

217

11

660+

1,265

Total Scheme Cost

£31,362,846

£17,804,226

£28,806,652

£1,288,362

£24,897,276

£14,836,672

£344,490

£885,765

£19,317,818

£1,100,000

£73,521,721

£214,165,828

Grant

£12,632,729

£5,558,362

£11,355,780

£576,282

£9,261,587

£8,766,959

0

£495,000

£5,390,000

£744,358

to be confirmed

£54,781,057

Plus Dane Group - Neighbourhood investor

Units owned Units managed Managed by others Non-social housing Total Turnover

11,302 4,482 323 194 16,301 £52,946,000

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35If you would like more financial information about Plus Dane Group please contact Peter Shaw, Managing Director - Financet: 01260 288 257 | 0151 708 4600 e: peter.shaw@neighbourhoodinvestor.com

In the first full year of trading, the financial performanceof the group has exceeded expectations as a whole asefficiencies continue to be driven throughout the businessand opportunities for growth have been realised.

The results are welcomed with some caution as theeconomic climate will continue to present challengesduring the coming year. However the results providea strong platform on which to build future provision.

Demolition of the existing Village Square,Castlefields - making way for an £11m mixed-usedevelopment managed by Plus Dane Group

Units Total Scheme Cost Grant

648 £76,673,816 £37,632,830

PHD 2009|10 Programme

Units Total Scheme Cost Grant

1,747 £196,953,271 £93,100,250

PHD 2008|11 Programme as at 31 March 2010

Plus Dane Group is a lead partner inPlus Harvest Developments (PHD).

PHD is a major partnership of 23developing housing associations.Established in 2005, PHD has sinceinvested in excess of £260m,securing over £100m grant to widenthe supply and choice of homesacross the North West.

Members share expertise and driveinnovation to create high quality,sustainable homes and enhanceneighbourhoods to create greatplaces to live.

By working in partnership, PHD hascreated nearly 2,500 affordable newhomes across the full range of

tenures. A lead partner with theHomes and Communities Agency(HCA), PHD’s affordable housingallocation for the period 2008-2011is in the top ten nationally.

This year, PHD announced its bestever performance figures. Thepartnership has been ranked topquartile nationally by the Homesand Communities Agency (HCA)on every measure, exceeded all itstargets by considerable margins -ranging from 119% to 283% - andincreased its grant allocation from£19.6m to £35.7m this year.

For more information, please visitwww.phdevelopments.org.uk

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Whenever we see the opportunity to do something newin Plus Dane we always ask ourselves one question aboveall others: “Will this make a real and positive differencefor the people that we serve?” Of course questions aboutdelivery, money and staffing are important but they mustbe secondary to the long-term task of helping peoplelive better lives.

It is now two years since we decided to become aNeighbourhood investor and not just a housing association.The stories in this report show what a difference we make.Being a Neighbourhood investor is all about using our assetsas a housing provider to make as much of a contributionto the equality of life of the people we serve as possible.We do that neighbourhood by neighbourhood as werecognise the uniqueness of every area.

Now the concept of localism that we have been practisingfor many years is on the lips of all three major political parties.

For too long Whitehall warriors have decided what needs to bedone in communities not the people who live in them. Only bydoing things from the bottom up can we provide the servicesthat people really need and, of vital importance in troubledfinancial times, at a price that can be afforded.

In the areas in which we work we have helped residentsdevelop neighbourhood plans which involve all public sectorproviders working together. Our success in these areas has ledto Councils asking for our help in developing strategies bywhich they can engage partners across the whole of theircouncil area. This concept is linked to a wider strategy calledplace based budgeting which local government hassuggested to central government is a major way to cut outwaste. Ministers visit us to see how it can be done.

The people whose stories we tell here are the reasons thatwe bother. Our tenants are our friends. Whatever we can doto help them – we will. If other people can help our tenants –we invite them in. Our tenants have challenged us in somany ways to help them and we do so willingly. In our turnwe continue to challenge ourselves and all those we workwith to work better together to deliver what our tenants need.

We face the future with confidence because what is needednow is what we have always done. We listen, we engage, wedeliver. I look forward to another successful year of listening,engaging and delivering for the people we serve.

Richard KempDeputy Chairman

looking to the future

Plus Dane GroupDeputy Chairman, Richard Kemp(left) chatting witha staff member

We listen, we engage, we deliver.

Alsager Neighbourhood Housing officer Linda Doukanaris chats to a local resident

Plus Dane Group | Baltimore Buildings | 13-15 Rodney Street | Liverpool L1 9EF | t: 0151 708 0674www.neighbourhoodinvestor.com

Written & designed by Plus Dane Communications Team ©2010 SGS-COC-005062