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Press Release |
Ref:PRHP008 Date: 30 July 2020
Housing Plus Group named in Top 50 Biggest Builders
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Housing Plus Group has been named as one of the Top 50 Biggest Builders in the country in a new survey published by Inside Housing magazine.
The £30m that the Group spent on building 291 new homes in 2019/20 brought a first appearance in the annual list of the largest developing housing associations, placing the organisation which has offices in Brassey Road, Shrewsbury, among the top three per cent of social landlords in the UK.
This news comes shortly before the first anniversary of the merger between Housing Plus Group and Stafford and Rural Homes (SARH), when chief executive Sarah Boden announced a commitment to help relieve the housing crisis in Shropshire by working to build an additional 2,000 new homes for rent, shared ownership and outright sale by 2023.
Last year Housing Plus Group, whose members now include Severnside Housing, South Staffordshire Housing Association, Severn Homes and SARH, completed 211 homes for below market rent and a further 80 properties for low cost ownership.
Developments have included a £2.6m project to revitalise a brownfield site and create 24 new homes in the heart of Wellington.
The Group also provided affordable homes on in Cross Houses, where tenants Richard Evans and Tracey Lopez moved into a newly-built bungalow: "It's made a huge difference,"said Tracey. "My mum's a housing association tenant and I grew up in the house where she still lives. I know that she used to worry that we didn't have the same kind of security and could lose our home."
Housing Plus Group owns 18,912 homes throughout Shropshire and Staffordshire. Last year it invested £30m in new homes and received £940,000 of government grant funding for affordable housing.
Ambitious building projects are set to continue. In what was described as "One of the most significant land acquisitions in the area", Housing Plus Group purchased 22.4 acres of land in Perton, where it plans to build up to 220 new homes for outright sale, shared ownership and rent.
"We are really pleased to have been included in the Top Fifty Biggest Builders survey for the first time", said chief executive Sarah Boden. "Our Group sets out to make a positive difference for homes, lives and communities. Providing new homes is one of the most important ways that we can do that. By building good quality, affordable housing we are supporting towns and rural areas here in Shropshire, where locally focussed investment is improving areas and boosting economic wellbeing.
"That is why we have committed to start building 2,000 new homes by 2023. I'm confident that we will achieve that target and proud that as a not-for-profit organisation, we are doing more than simply building houses, we are providing essential homes."
Caption:
Richard Evans and Tracey Lopez are pictured with Tracey's mother Jillian, outside their new home in Shropshire.
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Background for editors
Housing Plus Group is a Charitable Community Benefit Society providing 18,000 quality, affordable homes and care services that customers can trust across Shropshire and Staffordshire. As one of the largest affordable housing providers in the area, the Group is a major investor in communities and employs more than 800 people.
Housing Plus Group is addressing the housing crisis by starting to build 2,000 new homes for rent, shared ownership and outright sale by 2023. The Group has pledged to deliver one-third more hours of care and support for older people in their own homes and to create apprenticeship opportunities for 100 people in the Group and its supply chain within five years.
Housing Plus Group members include South Staffordshire Housing Association, SevernsideHousing, Stafford and Rural Homes, Care Plus and Severn Homes.
Its members are inspired by the CLARITY values which are the foundations of its work: Communication, Learning, Accountable, Respectful, Inclusive, Trust and YOU.
Further information
Mara Hargreaves
Head of marketing and communications
m:07800 619 863
e:mara.hargreaves@sarh.co.uk
Clare Chick
Marketing and communications officer
m: 07950 254 279
e:clare.chick@housingplusgroup.co.uk
Martin Farrow
CHANGEWORKS Communications
t: + 44 (0) 1785 247588
m: +44 (0)7771 970025
e:mfarrow@changeworkscom.co.uk