THE future of 16 sheltered housing schemes with about 250 mainly elderly tenants is in the balance.

Cottsway Housing, which took over all of West Oxfordshire District Council's social housing in 2001, is undertaking a major review of its schemes.

It is reassuring tenants that their future needs will be looked after, but some of the schemes, which are scattered around the district, could close.

Already Cottsway has held meetings with residents and their families at Greenlands in Milton-under-Wychwood and Manor Close at Enstone.

People will be relocated temporarily or permanently.

No definite plans have yet been drawn up, but operations director Stuart Edlington warned the association would have to make a significant reinvestment to bring homes up to modern standards.

He said: "This is a very sensitive exercise, given the nature of our proposals, and we recognise the need to engage and communicate with our tenants, their families and friends and the wider community."

The possible demolition of Manor Close, with either sale of the land or complete rebuild, has not been ruled out. It has four flats and seven bedsits, but some have had to be let to younger tenants because access is via steps in a narrow lane.

One proposal would see the property at Greenlands combined with the former care home, Langston House, to create a new sheltered housing scheme.

Cottsway is promising home loss payments of over £4,000, plus disturbance payments, where tenants have to be moved either permanently or temporarily.

The Association, a registered social landlord based at Station Lane, Witney, received a one-star "fair" rating from an Audit Commission inspection last August. Earlier in 2007 it introduced six per cent annual increases for its sheltered housing tenants to cover staff support and cleaning and maintenance services.

By the end of March, Cottsway plans to announce a short-term strategy for the next three to five years, and by March 2009 it hopes to have developed a long-term strategy.

Mr Edlington said: "Although at times there are difficulties in letting some of our units, there is a future for sheltered housing.

"We have to take into account modern trends and that might mean fewer schemes, of say 40 to 50 tenants, with 24/7 personal care available. There are obviously land issues but it is sensible to look now at the wider picture.

"At the same time, we bear in mind that these are tenants' homes and many have lived in them for some years."