Poplar HARCA
TypeCompany, charity, housing association
IndustrySocial housing
Founded13 September 1996 (1996-09-13)
FounderSteve Stride
Headquarters
London, E14
Area served
East London
ServicesHousing, community regeneration
Revenue£54.6 million (2016)
£10.1 million (2016)
Total assets£506 million (2016)
Number of employees
300 FTE (2016)
Websitepoplarharca.co.uk
Footnotes / references
Source: Statutory accounts
Brownfield Estate after redevelopment, 2014

Poplar HARCA (Housing and Regeneration Community Association) is a housing association in the East End of London, England. It is the landlord of about 9,000 homes in the East London area, a quarter of which have been sold leasehold; the remainder are let on assured tenancies at subsidised rent levels.

The association focuses on community regeneration as part of its core mission, with a Neighbourhood Centre on each estate. It is part of the Placeshapers network of housing associations and works on improving infrastructure, services, activities, employment, health and education in the area.[1]

History

Poplar HARCA was set up by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to regenerate the area, especially certain council estates whose residents voted to transfer to the new body. Parts of seven estates (about 4,500 homes) transferred to Poplar HARCA in March and December 1998. The following year, tenants on further estates voted to remain with the council. However, after a lengthy consultation of all council estates in Tower Hamlets begun in 2002, several more estates in Poplar did transfer between 2005 and 2007. The final ballots were on several estates in East India ward, with a 78% majority in favour of transfer in 2006,[2] including the iconic Balfron Tower; and Coventry Cross Estate with 65% in 2007.[3]

Reshaping Poplar

Poplar HARCA has refurbished all its existing housing stock and brought it up to standard. Its "Reshaping Poplar" agenda is a twelve-year plan to update, improve and replace this housing, developing hundreds of new homes, alongside parks, health and education facilities.[4] John Denham, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, met residents to discuss the plans in September 2009.[5]

In 2012 Poplar HARCA and Willmott Dixon obtained planning permission for a joint redevelopment of the Aberfeldy Estate. The plans include the demolition of nearly 300 homes and their replacement with 1,100 new homes and improved amenities to be provided over twelve years.[6][7] Of the 1,100 new homes built, 986 will be at market rates, 20 at intermediate rent, and 170 at social rent.[8]

Management

The constitution allows for twelve board members including seven resident directors (tenants or leaseholders), one local councillor and up to four independent members. As of November 2015, the Chief Executive is Steve Stride, the Chair of the Board is Dr Paul Brickell, and the Vice-Chair is Rev. James Olanipekun, a resident.[9]

Poplar HARCA has also formally incorporated youth empowerment into its management structure. Its Youth Empowerment Board is formally represented in the governance of the association.[10]

The Audit Commission's last inspection in 2007 awarded Poplar HARCA two stars out of three, with "promising prospects for improvement".[11]

Poplar Harca's Community and Neighbourhoods team (CaN), often in partnership with other associations, work on projects that help residents to find new jobs, empower them to improve their local area or develop and improve their physical, mental, emotional, social and educational wellbeing.[12]

Awards

  • Winner of the 2016 Guardian Public Service Award for Transformation.[13]
  • In October 2016, the Accents Team were awarded ‘Innovation of the Year’ by 24 Housing for their Open Poplar project which identifies and then fills underused space in the area.[14]
  • Accents project manager Francesca Colloca won the 2016 Women in Housing Award for 'most effective project in improving the lives of women or communities' in recognition for her work on the Chrisp Street Exchange Programme.[15]
  • In 2016, Poplar HARCA ranked 4th in Inside Housing's Innovation Index, recognising the ideas and creativity of staff.[16]
  • 2015 winner of the UK Housing Award for ‘Outstanding Landlord of the Year’.[17]
  • In 2015, it won a BALI National Landscape Award in the Hard Landscaping category for its approach to regeneration on the Brownfield Estate.[18]
  • Poplar HARCA's Energy Champion Project was recognised for its innovative, resident led approach in receiving the Greener Living Award at the 2015 Community Impact Awards.[19]
  • In April 2014, Chief Executive Steve Stride was featured in 24Housing magazine's '2014 Power Player Top 50' list, at number nine.[20]
  • In 2014, resident Tom Gleed won Green Tenant of the Year at the Sustainable Housing Awards for developing Brownfield Community Garden into a thriving sustainable space.[21]
  • The Brownfield Estate Board won the 2015 Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group Anti-Social Behaviour (SLCNG ASB) Resident and Community Award for its work in building a safe and cohesive community.
  • In 2013, it won the Sustainable City Awards in the ‘Greening the Third Sector’ category for demonstrating excellence in sustainable development.[22]
  • Poplar HARCA was voted Social Housing Provider of the year at the Sustainable Housing Awards 2013.[23]
  • Finalist at the UK Housing Awards 2013 for Community-Led Initiative of the Year. This was for the Poplar and Bow Network.[24]
  • It won two awards at the Sustainable Housing Awards 2012: Partnership of the year for the Eco Homes project and the Transformation Award for the redevelopment of Leopold Park.[25]
  • Poplar HARCA won the ASB ActionNet Award 2011,[26] for innovative legal action to deal with "neighbours from hell".[27][28]
  • It won the Tenant Empowerment Team of the Year Award at the Chartered Institute of Housing's Housing Heroes Awards 2010.[29]
  • It won The Guardian's Public Services Award 2009 in the Housing and Regeneration category, for its Family Intervention Project.[30]
  • Community Safety Manager, Sarah Castro, was awarded an MBE in the 2009 New Year Honours list. This was for her work tackling anti-social behaviour in Poplar and Tower Hamlets.[31]
  • Poplar HARCA's chair from 2002 to 2009, Christine Searle MBE, was named one of the 25 most influential people in social housing by Inside Housing magazine in March 2009.[32] She was one of the founder resident directors of Poplar HARCA, and her MBE was awarded in June 2004 in recognition of her community work.[33]
  • Winner of the Housing Corporation's 2007 Gold Award for Empowering Communities[34]
  • Finalist of Inbiz National Housing Federation 2006 Housing Awards - Best Neighbour[35]
  • In partnership with Lincoln Area Regeneration Group, 2006 Green Pennant awarded for Chiltern Green[36]
  • In partnership with Lincoln Area Regeneration Group, Highly Commended in Chartered Institute of Housing 2004 UK Housing Award for Best Led Community Initiative - Chiltern Green[37]
  • 2001 Commendation for Best in Community Regeneration - BURA Charitable Trust[38]
  • In partnership with Countryside plc, Burdett Estate renewal was voted Best Partnership Development in the 2001 What House? Awards[39]

References

  1. ↑ Poplar HARCA Archived 17 July 2014 at archive.today, Placeshapers website
  2. ↑ "Better quality of life", Tower Hamlets Council website, 18 Dec 2007. Retrieved 21 Jan 2008.
  3. ↑ "Coventry Cross Estate vote in favour to transfer to Poplar HARCA", Tower Hamlets website, 14 Dec 2007. Retrieved 21 Jan 2008.
  4. ↑ Reshaping Poplar Implementation Framework Archived 27 January 2013 at archive.today, Leaside Regeneration, 2009.
  5. ↑ Denham sees Poplar HARCA’s plans for the area Archived 9 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine, London Housing News, 14 Sep 2009
  6. ↑ Gavriel Hollander, East London regen project given green light Archived 17 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Inside Housing, 13 July 2012
  7. ↑ Aberfeldy Village Archived 31 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Casey Fierro Architects
  8. ↑ Greater London Authority (7 December 2011). "Aberfeldy Estate- Planning Application no.PA/11/02716" (PDF).
  9. ↑ Board members Archived 18 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine on Poplar HARCA website
  10. ↑ ‘We don’t really do it like that, dear’, Inside Housing, 27 Nov 2009
  11. ↑ Inspection report by the Audit Commission. Retrieved 12 Oct 2009.
  12. ↑ CaN annual report Archived 19 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Popar HARCA 2012/13
  13. ↑ "Guardian Public Service Awards 2016 transformation winner: Poplar Harca". TheGuardian.com. 30 November 2016.
  14. ↑ "24housing.co.uk".
  15. ↑ "24housing.co.uk".
  16. ↑ "Innovation Index 2016 | Analysis | Inside Housing". Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  17. ↑ "UK Housing Awards 2015 | Information | Inside Housing". Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  18. ↑ "Awards".
  19. ↑ "Awards".
  20. ↑ 24housing Power Players List Archived 19 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine, 24Housing
  21. ↑ "Sustainable Housing Awards 2014 winners revealed | News | Inside Housing". Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  22. ↑ "Awards".
  23. ↑ Sustainable Housing Awards 2013 Archived 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Inside Housing
  24. ↑ UKHA 2013 Finalists, CIH.org
  25. ↑ Sustainable Housing Award 2012, Inside Housing
  26. ↑ The ASBActionNet Awards 2011, Lemos & Crane.
  27. ↑ ASB ActionNet Award shortlist. Lemos & Crane.
  28. ↑ Tenants evicted for bad behaviour, BBC, 30 September 2009
  29. ↑ "News".
  30. ↑ We are family: Poplar's Family Intervention Project is giving minor offenders a chance to get back on track, The Guardian, 25 Nov 2009
  31. ↑ New Year honours list: MBEs, The Guardian, 31 Dec 2008
  32. ↑ Hall of fame Archived 14 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Inside Housing, 27 Mar 2009
  33. ↑ 'Residents will not tolerate this', profile of Christine Searle in "Housing Horizons", The Guardian, 10 Feb 2009
  34. ↑ 2007 Gold Awards Archived 4 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine on Housing Corporation website
  35. ↑ 2006 Awards Archived 10 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine on NHF website
  36. ↑ 2006 Green Pennant, Countryside.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 Oct 2007.
  37. ↑ 2004 Winners Archived 10 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine on CIH website. Retrieved 8 Oct 2008.
  38. ↑ BURA 2001 winners Archived 26 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine, sponsored by English Partnerships
  39. ↑ "Countryside PLC wins award for Burdett Estate". Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2007.
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