Oaklee Part of the 'Fabric of Life' in Newtownabbey (October 2008)

Oaklee Housing Association is pleased to announce the opening of its new general family housing development at Longlands Avenue, Newtownabbey, in North Belfast.

The development, as a major contributor to the North Belfast Housing Strategy, is undoubtedly of benefit to the local community and was readily supported by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

The site was originally a disused textile factory identified by Oaklee, and in liaison with our Package Deal Design & Build Developer, a scheme proposal was developed for 56 social housing properties. This represents a financial investment of over £8 million pounds by Oaklee and the Department for Social Development.

The Association consulted with Greencastle Community Empowerment Association and other community groups from the inception of the scheme, particularly in relation to the housing mix required to meet the particular needs of the community, and we thank them for the invaluable input and cooperation in helping us to deliver the project.

We are particularly delighted that Minister Ritchie opened the Longlands development, which highlights her commitment and determination that leading Housing Associations like Oaklee are supported to deliver quality affordable housing for all.

As part of Minister Ritchie's visit to Longlands she also kindly presented a gift to an Oaklee Tenant who was the 80,000th caller to Oaklee Customer Service Centre since its launch in September 2005. The Oaklee Services Centre is a central contact point for Oaklee's tenants and customers, and deals with issues such as tenant management and property related enquiries and leads the highest standards of customer service in Northern Ireland.