You are here: home >
Life-long resident opens flagship housing development in Iffley village
Issued 11 June 2010
An 80-year-old Iffley man, who has lived in the village all his life and keeps sheep in fields nearby, has helped cut the ribbon to officially open his new home – a new £4m housing development for older residents from Oxford Citizens Housing Association, part of the GreenSquare housing group.
Les White's new home is one of 27 flats that make up the new Lucas & Remy Place in Iffley village. This replaces accommodation originally built in 1973 that had become outdated and could not meet current standards for housing, with many of the flats being small bedsits. After much research and consultation, it was clear that major works to renovate the old building would not have been sufficient and so, in 2008, work began to rebuild Lucas & Remy Place.
Les is one of sixteen former residents of the old Lucas & Remy Place who have moved back into the new scheme. Les keeps up to 90 sheep in fields close to Lucas & Remy Place, on common land that must be continuously grazed to prevent the land being developed. Other locals from the village help him look after the sheep.
Resident liaison officer for Oxford Citizens Housing Association (OCHA), Penny Mobbs, says: “Les is a great resident, a real character. He is always there with a smile and a joke whenever I see him. I hope he and all the residents will be really happy in their new homes here.”
The other resident participating in the opening ceremony was Francis Hill, who has lived at Lucas & Remy since 1982: “I'm delighted with the building, it's really beautiful,” she said. “Having moved away I didn't think I would come back, but I have and it feels like coming home.”
Marie Charlesworth is another satisfied resident and thinks her new home “could not be better”. She said: “Our niece lives in the village and it is so nice to be close to family. As a pastor I've spent many years visiting people and in all my years I have never seen anywhere as nice as this.”
The development of 27 one and two bedroom flats for affordable rent was designed by PRP Architects and completed earlier this year by contractors Willmot Dixon; the project cost £4 million, including a £1.2 million grant from the Homes & Communities Agency.
“Great care was taken in the design to ensure that the building blended into the historic Iffley village,” says Richard Coulston, GreenSquare Development Project Manager. “So the building looks more like a series of cottages and not a block of flats – whilst being modern and functional on the inside with easy access for residents.”
The name Lucas & Remy Place has also been retained because of its close association with OCHA and Iffley village. 'Lucas' is after Professor and Mrs Keith Lucas who had provided support to OCHA with Mrs Lucas being OCHA’s first paid employee; the collection from her funeral has paid for the greenhouse in the garden. The name 'Remy' comes from the Norman founders of Iffley Church.
Lucas & Remy’s newest resident is actually a Nissan Note! Comonwheels Car Club is pleased to be adding this new location to its Oxford fleet thanks to contributions from OCHA and Inspace, and support from the Friends of Iffley Village. Once signed up as a member, drivers can book by phone or online, let themselves into the car, and use it whenever they wish. For those wanting just occasional use of a car, this can work out much cheaper and easier than owning one. Those interested in finding out more should visit www.commonwheels.org.uk.
.jpg "Pay your rent over the Internet"){kind=small}
.jpg "Report a repair"){kind=small}
.jpg "New Build HomeBuy"){kind=small}
.jpg "OCHA publications"){kind=small}
.jpg "Resident involvement"){kind=small}
