Thamesmead Housing Co-operative
Encyclopedia
The Thamesmead Housing Co-operative was a housing estate
in Thamesmead
, South East London
in the London Borough of Greenwich
. It was a purpose built housing cooperative
and like others it was an experiment in building close-knit communities and as a way of helping single people and couples.
It was dissolved in the 1990s and taken over by Hyde Housing Association (now The Hyde Group).
in order to become a member of the co-operative, which entitled them to attend and vote in the annual general meeting
, to elect or stand for the management committee, participate in the co-operative’s affairs and receive its services.
The co-operative consisted of an enclave of 40 flats and 20 shared houses in red brick. The flats were intended for couples but not families and the houses were shared by 4 - 6 people, some having a purpose build disabled unit attached. The buildings were laid out in five courtyards with addresses in Blyth Road and Slocum Close.
A hall and office were provided for purpose of holding meetings and managing the co-operative.
The properties have continued as a shared housing scheme.
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
in Thamesmead
Thamesmead
Thamesmead is a district of south-east London, England, located in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross....
, South East London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the London Borough of Greenwich
London Borough of Greenwich
The London Borough of Greenwich is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan...
. It was a purpose built housing cooperative
Housing cooperative
A housing cooperative is a legal entity—usually a corporation—that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit, sometimes subject to an occupancy agreement, which is similar to a lease. ...
and like others it was an experiment in building close-knit communities and as a way of helping single people and couples.
It was dissolved in the 1990s and taken over by Hyde Housing Association (now The Hyde Group).
Co-operative
Thamesmead Housing Co-operative was established to address the lack of housing for vulnerable single people in the area. Applicants to live on the CO-op were interviewed ain order to establish their housing needs and also their ability to co-exist with others in shared houses. New tenants were required to purchase a £1 shareShare (finance)
A joint stock company divides its capital into units of equal denomination. Each unit is called a share. These units are offered for sale to raise capital. This is termed as issuing shares. A person who buys share/shares of the company is called a shareholder, and by acquiring share or shares in...
in order to become a member of the co-operative, which entitled them to attend and vote in the annual general meeting
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
, to elect or stand for the management committee, participate in the co-operative’s affairs and receive its services.
The co-operative consisted of an enclave of 40 flats and 20 shared houses in red brick. The flats were intended for couples but not families and the houses were shared by 4 - 6 people, some having a purpose build disabled unit attached. The buildings were laid out in five courtyards with addresses in Blyth Road and Slocum Close.
A hall and office were provided for purpose of holding meetings and managing the co-operative.
Transfer to Hyde Housing
Difficulties in running the co-operative as a stand alone project led to the involvement of Hyde Housing Association which took over the management of the properties around 1990. Later it was established that the transfer process had not been correctly handled and the process was properly completed in the late 1990s.The properties have continued as a shared housing scheme.
See also
- Clays Lane EstateClays Lane EstateThe Clays Lane Estate was a housing estate in Stratford, East London, and the UK’s largest purpose built housing cooperative. It was an experiment in building close-knit communities as a way of helping vulnerable single people...
across the river - Deptford Housing Co-operative is still running