local authority:   Dartford Borough Council

Manor Place Co-operative Housing Society consists of a mix of 78 rented, leasehold and freehold flats and houses. It is one of four housing co-operatives on the Phoenix Place Estate in the heart of Dartford within ten minutes of Dartford train station and five minutes from the shopping centre. The estate consists of one tower block of 36 flats (6 bedsits, 18 one bed two person flats and 12 two bed three person flats), 20 two bed four person houses and 22 three bed five person houses all surrounded by large green communal open spaces. One of the ground floor flats is converted to a disabled unit.

Manor Place Co-operative is one of CDS Co-operatives’s earliest developments completed in November 1976. CDS owned, the co-operative has a management agreement between CDS and their committee. The committee take on a number of housing management functions including lettings and maintenance for an annual fee and 100% of any money unspent from their maintenance budget is given to the co-operative to spend on future improvements as they see fit.

All the properties are fully double glazed, most of the rented properties have fitted kitchens, all the kitchens are being replaced under a rolling planned maintenance programme. The rented houses have recently had their central heating systems upgraded. The block of flats is serviced by a recently refurbished lift and they have the added security of a door entry phone system as well as CCTV of the main entrance area. The CCTV is tuned to each resident’s TV set so they know who is at the main entrance area at any time. The flats have a communal tumble dryer and refuse chutes located on each floor and a main refuse area outside. There is unallocated communal parking for the flats, the houses have their own driveways and the three bed five person houses have an integrated garage. There are a limited number of garages available for tenants in the flats to rent at an additional cost each month. There is currently a waiting list for these garages and anyone wishing to rent a garage or be placed on the waiting list should contact the co-operative support officer for Dartford or the Help Desk for further information.

The flats all pay a service charge to cover:

• gardening and maintenance of grounds
• communal lighting on the estate
• management of services
• cleaning, lighting and maintenance of common areas of flats
• maintenance of lights
• upkeep of door entry-phone system
• upkeep of communal tumble drying facility

The houses pay a service charge to cover:

• gardening and maintenance of grounds
• communal lighting on the estate
• management of services

The leasehold properties all pay an annual service charge to cover the cost of services and the freehold properties all pay a rent charge to cover mainly the communal gardening and management of services.

Dartford train station is within ten minutes walk and the area is accessible by a good bus network link to the town centre, Bluewater and beyond. Supermarkets, the Priory and Orchard Shopping Centres and Orchard Theatre are within five minutes walking distance from the scheme. Dartford Police Station is based in Instone Road, two to three minutes away and the nearest hospital is Darent Valley Hospital.

There are a number of infant and junior schools within close proximity to the scheme including Oakfield Infant and Junior Schools. Dartford Technology College, a secondary school for girls with a mixed sixth form college are also close by.

The co-operative has a mix of tenancies: assured tenancy agreements, issued to all new tenants after 15 January 1989 (gives security of tenure as local authority tenants with the exception of the ‘right to buy’), or secured tenancy agreements, issued to all tenants on or before 15 January 1989, (gives security of tenure as local authority tenants including the right to buy).

The initial leases drawn up for properties in the co-operative were for 99 years, duration from April 1973. All subsequent leases are for 125 years duration.

Allocations to this scheme are strictly via Darthomes, who have 100% nomination rights. Anyone wishing to transfer to or away from this scheme should be registered on Dartford Council’s common housing register and apply for any vacant properties under the new choice based lettings scheme that came into effect in the Borough in April 2005.

Innovation award: About five years ago the co-operative designed and created a garden area with a water feature to the rear of the two and three bed houses. The garden won CDS Co-operatives’s innovation award for the garden which created an area that the co-op can use for relaxation and social events.