History

Kirklees Community Association (KCA) is a registered charity established in 1994.

The original purpose of KCA was to act as a partnership vehicle with Henry Boot to develop some affordable housing alongside other joint venture activity being delivered at the time.

From 1995 KCA developed several housing schemes:

The funding for these schemes has come from three main sources. The primary source has been through borrowing by KCA from the Co-operative Bank on each scheme.

KCA has also benefited from funding raised by a miscellaneous properties disposal programme operated by Henry Boot.

In brief this relied on the disposal by the council's miscellaneous property stock at no cost to KCA.

The majority of these properties were then sold on the open market to generate funds to refurbish the larger schemes shown above.

The council also provided a capital grant to KCA of £1 million towards the cost of the scheme at Heron Close.

The Dale View properties were purchased from a private developer using PPG3 monies and at 50% market value

All of KCA’s stock is managed by Kirklees Housing & Neighbourhoods who allocate properties, collect rents and provide day to day repairs services. The level of service is therefore in line with that received by other Council tenants.

KCA tenancies are granted on an assured shorthold basis and for that reason, tenants do not have the right to buy their property. This is a considerable advantage that enables KCA to provide affordable housing on a long term basis.

In 2010, KCA started it's biggest project to date - the regeneration of Fieldhead Estate in Birstall, West Yorkshire.

Kirklees Community Association led the regeneration and other key partners include Kirklees Council, which donated the land, Kirklees Housing & Neighbourhoods  (KHN), which manages the estate, the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), which provided a grant and building company Keepmoat Homes.

KCA’s unique status has enabled the project to be funded at a time when many other social housing schemes have been put on hold.

The project saw unpopular flats and maisonettes demolished and replaced by 139 new family homes.

From these, KCA owns 63 properties which are rented through Kirklees Council and 13 shared ownership properties. The rest were private homes owned by Keepmoat.

The remaining flats at Fieldhead were upgraded by KHN to blend in with the new properties, new shops built and the road system improved.

In October 2011, the former Hare and Hounds pub on Fieldhead Lane was demolished to make way for further properties to complete the scheme.

KCA has five houses on the pub site and two on the site compound, where offices were sited for the main project.

They are available through Kirklees Council’s housing register and managed by KNH.

In addition Keepmoat built five houses on the pub site for private sale.

In 2011 KCA also purchased and renovated a single property at Hall Cross Road, Lowerhouses, Huddersfield.