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Fyne Homes History
Fyne Homes Ltd was registered in 28th February 1961, as William Woodhouse Strain, thus holding the distinction of being the oldest Housing Association in Argyll and Bute.
In its present form it is the amalgamation of 4 Associations, William Woodhouse Strain , Bute, Campbeltown and District, Dunoon and Cowal Housing Associations and Dunan Co-operative.
The association's story really starts in 1936 when William Woodhouse Strain, a Glasgow Solicitor bequeathed land and buildings at Port Bannatyne in Trust to Bute County Council.
Woodhouse Strain was concerned at the plight of farm workers who were dependent on tied housing and when they lost their jobs or retired found themselves homeless and the bequest was to be used to house those who found themselves in these unfortunate circumstances.
Times fortunately moved on and by the 1960s this was not such an issue, the buildings having outlived their usefulness had been demolished and the Council decided to seek Court of Session Approval to alter the terms of the bequest to allow them to build houses on the site by forming the Trust into a Housing Association.This was granted, provided lettings were prioritised in accordance with the original bequest, and the newly formed William Woodhouse Strain Housing Association built 8 flats on the site at Shore Road Port Bannatyne.
In 1974, Argyll and Bute District Council as successor to Rothesay Town and Bute County Council carried out a housing survey on the Island of Bute.
In Rothesay the capital of this island, which had been a Mecca for countless holiday makers from the West of Scotland, and immortalised in song and folklore, described as the best remaining example of a Victorian/Edwardian seaside town, home to the largest continuous Outstanding Conservation Area out with Edinburgh's New Town -more than half the houses in the town centre were Below the Tolerable Standard (BTS) and half of these lacked even basic standard amenities.
In the latter half of the 20th century over 300 homes didn't have an inside lavatory!
Following the largest public meeting seen on the Island, Isle of Bute Housing Association (later Bute Housing Association) was formed as the first Community Based Housing Association out with the Glasgow conurbation to tackle the problem.
Over the next decade through a Housing Action Area programme of rehabilitation, demolition and new build 700 quality affordable new homes were provided in the historic heart of the town and in Port Bannatyne and Kingarth.
Rothesay Conservation Area is unique in that it is made up almost entirely of working class tenements, some listed in their own right, and through the association new life was breathed into these tenement areas, including 2 impressive Georgian tenements predating Rothesay's holiday resort fame and a product of its previous little known past as a centre for the nascent cotton industry with its water powered mills, sadly none of which now survive, although the mill lade is soon to be transformed into a major feature of a heritage trail.
The first developments on the Argyll mainland took place in Cairndow and Ardrishaig in 1989. These were followed by new projects in Lochgilphead, Inveraray, Tarbert and Campbeltown.Campbeltown and District H.A. was formed to take the Scottish Homes (formerly Scottish Special Housing Association) houses in the town into community ownership, unfortunately the sums couldn't be made to add up and the tenants voted to transfer to Bute H.A. in 1999.
Tenants of Dunan Co-operative and Dunoon and Cowal Housing Association voted to transfer to Bute H.A. in 1998 and 2001 respectively.In 2002 Woodhouse Strain Housing Association and Bute Housing Association merged to form the association we know today as Fyne Homes.
Fyne Homes proudly serves the communities of Bute, Cowal, Mid Argyll and Kintyre and continues to provide quality affordable housing in these areas through new build and rehabilitation and is playing a full part in meeting the Government's Social Inclusion agenda through an ever growing wider action programme.
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