Member Article

Brand new affordable housing scheme in Hartlepool named after pioneering ‘flowerpot man’

Endeavour Housing Association is celebrating the official opening of five new bungalows in the Clavering area of Hartlepool.

The £500,000 scheme, which was developed in partnership with Hartlepool Borough Council and the Homes and Communities Agency, represents a major step forward in addressing the need for affordable housing in the area. All of the new residents have a strong local connection to Hartlepool.

This year 2014 marks the 40th anniversary of Endeavour Housing Association, and the scheme has been named in memory of the first Chief Executive of Endeavour, Kit Bartram, who sadly passed away last year. The Bartram family, including his widow Jo Bartram, and sons Robert and Ed are officially opening the scheme.

Endeavour Housing Association was founded in 1974 in response to a growing need to provide quality, affordable homes to the local people of Teesside.

Bartram Court comprises of five spacious bungalows, fully self-contained, beautifully finished to a high standard, with private back gardens and accessed via a private road. The scheme is built to the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3, Housing quality Standards and Secured by Design.

Residents are also reaping the benefits of eco-friendly technologies – including a high level of insulation, photo voltaic panels providing some of the electrical power, and a rain water harvesting system – enabling them to enjoy warm homes and reduced fuel bills.

Endeavour Housing Association has worked closely with partners and the community to ensure that the development complemented its surroundings. The result is a stunning development for the residents of Hartlepool.

Angela Lockwood, explained why this is such an important development: “There is a real shortage of quality affordable housing for older people. At Endeavour, we are committed to building more homes for local people, and passionate about supporting local communities to thrive and grow. With this new development, we feel that we are taking positive steps to do just that.”

Endeavour Housing Association was founded in 1974 in response to a growing need to provide quality, affordable homes to the local people of Teesside. Kit Bartram was brought on board after responding to an ad in the local press seeking people to lead Housing Organisations – “No experience necessary“.

Working for Endeavour, Bartram was one of the first of a pioneering group who became known as ’the flowerpot men’.

Would-be Chief Executives were trained and developed under a ’hot house’ process. The ’flowerpot’ scheme was successful in being a seedbed for ’talent’ from sectors outside of housing, and Kit Bartram was no exception, having come from a shipbuilding background.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by North Star Housing Group .