History

Liverpool Housing Trust (LHT), founder member of the Vicinity Group, was set up in 1965 to provide good quality homes for families forced to live in some of the worst housing in the UK. Established as a not-for-profit, charitable housing association, LHT was one of the small group of organisations financially supported by SHELTER, the national campaign for the homeless, which pioneered neighbourhood based rehabilitation of older housing as an alternative to large scale clearance and redevelopment.

The success of this Shelter demonstration project led to changes in Government policy, and the setting up of the Housing Corporation to fund housing associations. Locally, Council policy switched from clearance to improvement and LHT played a major role in improving thousands of older houses in neighbourhoods across the City. (Full information on our history can be read in our 2005 annual report which marked our 40th anniversary.)

From its beginnings in Central Liverpool, LHT’s work expanded throughout Merseyside, and with the transfer of 2800 new town homes in Runcorn, by 1990 the Trust owned over 7,000 homes across the region.

This housing provided by LHT included new build as well as improved older homes, housing with support, sheltered housing for the elderly and specially adapted homes for people with physical disability. LHT also undertook commercial housing development to generate profits to support its core work. This included housing for market rent and for sale through its commercial off-shoot, Atrium City Living Ltd, and student housing.

In 2003, a new group structure was established under the parent organisation, Vicinity Housing Group – a registered housing association – and Cobalt Housing was set up alongside LHT. Cobalt under its new tenant-led Board, took the transfer of 6,000 homes in North East Liverpool from the Council.

Two years later Beechwood Ballantyne Community Housing Association, another tenant-led stock transfer, joined Vicinity with 900 homes on the Wirral.

In April 2007, Rodney Housing Association, a long established association with 1,100 homes joined Vicinity and became an operating division of LHT. 

In March 2008, the remaining 19,000 Council tenants in Liverpool transfered to a new housing association landlord, Liverpool Mutual Homes. LHT now act as LMH’s managing agent for over 9,000 homes in North Liverpool. 

April 2008 saw the creation of Vicinity's latest subsidiary, Vicinity won the stock transfer of 1200 homes from Ribble Valley Council in Lancashire to create Ribble Valley Homes, bringing our total housing management to over 26,000 homes.

Vicinity is planning further growth not only by continuing to build homes, but also by seeking stock transfers and mergers with other associations. This growth is aimed at generating efficiencies so that more cash can be spent on tenant services and new homes and also to consolidate our role as a leading housing and regeneration agency.