Morganstone continues community engagement

Staff from construction company Morganstone have continued to meet with the founder members of the Old Oak Housing Co-operative to offer advice to help with the decoration of their new homes and provide information regarding the build itself.

The engagement with the founder members follows Morganstone’s and housing provider Gwalia’s information event for the existing community surrounding the proposed Old Oak Housing Co-operative development on land off Bro Myrddin, Carmarthen.

The co-operative housing project is the first of its kind in Carmarthenshire, and one of only three being piloted in Wales. It will feature 27 homes consisting of two, three, and four bedroom house types. Members of the co-op will manage the homes democratically, encouraging increased levels of satisfaction from doing so. Co-op members will also decide how any surpluses made will be used to improve the community.

Since September 2014, residents who will be living in the new development have been attending fortnightly housing management sessions run by Gwalia and the Wales Co-operative Centre to ensure that they have the skills necessary to actively participate in the management of the co-op.  A number of residents will be elected to sit on the board, and will be responsible for making the key management decisions.

Morganstone and Gwalia held a Colour Choice and Plot Discussion event on the 9 and 10 October to give the founder members the opportunity to select colour schemes for their new homes and to meet with the project manager and site manager to discuss their individual plot and the build itself.

Antonia John, Community Engagement Manager for Morganstone, said:

“Following on from the success of the information event and the recent turf cutting ceremony, Gwalia and Morganstone put together a comprehensive selection of bathroom, kitchen and flooring choices to give the founder members the opportunity to select colour choices for their homes.  The event was a great success and the founder members were delighted with the selection of choices available and it was a great opportunity for the members to find out further information regarding their individual plot.”