North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has praised a regional housing association for its ongoing programme of home energy upgrades, highlighting the role this work plays in tackling poverty, cutting household bills, and building a greener future.  Mayor McGuinness said: “I am committed to making the North East the home of real opportunity. To do that we must support the thousands of families across our region who are struggling with fuel poverty and make sure everyone has a warm home they’re proud of.   “That’s why it’s great to see organisations like believe housing building sustainable homes and making thousands of energy upgrades to houses in the North East, helping their customers keep more money in their pockets.   “As Mayor, I will scale up our retrofitting industry with more jobs, reinforcing our region as a leader in green energy. That will mean skilled green jobs for local people, upgrading homes across our communities.”   The Mayor made the comments during a visit to believe housing, a not-for-profit landlord which manages more than 18,000 homes across the North East.  During her visit, leaders outlined believe housing’s ongoing work to improve existing homes — which includes ensuring every property meets at least an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating of C which makes them warmer, greener and more affordable to heat for residents.   And they spoke about its delivery of about 200 high-quality, energy-efficient new homes a year, where they are most needed.   This work is central to believe housing’s commitment to providing healthy, affordable homes and goes hand in hand with a wide range of support services for customers and communities, including employability programmes, welfare benefits advice, and community grant funding.  Mayor McGuinness also heard how long-term investment in social housing is helping to create green jobs and boost local economic growth.   She met representatives from RE:GEN Group, believe housing’s delivery partner for energy improvement works, who said that visible, ongoing investment gives them the confidence to grow their skilled workforce — enabling them to continue delivering upgrades and support the region’s transition to a greener economy.  As part of her visit, the Mayor met believe housing customer Val Singleton at her home in Crook, which recently benefited from improvement and decarbonisation works, including a new roof with solar panels and enhanced loft insulation.  Val’s home is one of 3,477 believe housing homes to receive energy efficiency upgrades, part-funded by the government.  “It was lovely to meet Val, whose home is one of many that have already been fitted with energy efficiency upgrades, including solar panels and insulation, not only making her home warmer, but reducing her heating bills too,” said the Mayor.  “We are already making it easier for people in County Durham to get the advice they need to reduce their bills.   “I am working closely with the industry to increase the supply of sustainable social housing, and retrofit more homes across the North East to help more people, like Val, save on their energy bills.”   Alan Smith, Chief Executive of believe housing, said: “We welcome the opportunity to show the Mayor some of our work and to talk about how it supports her missions for the region — creating a stronger, fairer economy, generating job opportunities, tackling poverty, and advancing green energy.  “We also discussed the wider challenges facing the social housing sector and how we can work together with the North East Combined Authority, through the North East Housing Partnership, to do even more to make our region a better place to live and work.”  The North East Housing Partnership is a group of social housing providers and local authorities, working together to support the North East Mayoral Combined Authority to deliver a comprehensive housing plan for the region that drives inclusive economic growth through the delivery of new homes, supports net zero and skills, and helps residents live healthier lives.   Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

The latest phase of the regeneration of the Aylesbury Estate in south London has reached its highest point. The occasion was marked yesterday by members of the community coming together with representatives from Notting Hill Genesis, Southwark Council, the GLA and The Hill Group to see the last of the concrete being laid at the top of the block, which is due to be completed next year. This milestone shows Notting Hill Genesis’s ongoing commitment to providing safe, comfortable and quality homes for both existing and new residents. At the heart of this project is Notting Hill Genesis’s dedication to growing and investing in the community to make sure they are part of the regeneration. Chairs of the residents’ associations and other key local figures joined the ceremony, which was followed by a tour of the hoarding displaying residents’ artwork, chosen through a local art prize competition. Notting Hill Genesis has been working in partnership with Southwark Council since 2014 on the regeneration of the Aylesbury Estate. Together they have already delivered over 700 homes, of which 85% are social rent, alongside a new library and health centre. The latest phase, known as FDS C, will have shared ownership, private sale and market rent homes alongside social rent. The next phase of homes, phase 2b, is currently in planning and should provide a further 640 homes, half being affordable. Matthew Cornwall-Jones, chief homes officer at Notting Hill Genesis, said: “I’m so proud to see this latest milestone. We have been working on the regeneration of the Aylesbury Estate for over a decade and it’s great to celebrate its progress alongside members of the community today. “I want to say a huge thank you to our dedicated partners. We are excited to see the continued growth and positive impact this area will have for years to come. “We are committed to this regeneration and working with existing residents to make sure the new homes and spaces meet their needs.” Cain Peters, managing director for special projects at The Hill Group said: “Reaching this important “topping out” milestone at the Aylesbury Estate highlights Hill’s long-standing commitment to building safe, comfortable, and high-quality housing for vital regeneration projects. “We hope residents will enjoy the new community centre, health centre and library for many years to come and we now looking forward to completing this project August 2027.” Councillor Helen Dennis, Southwark’s cabinet member for new homes and sustainable development, said: “I’m really pleased to celebrate this milestone with our partners Notting Hill Genesis as the renewal of the Aylesbury continues to transform lives on the estate with brand new high-quality homes. “The Aylesbury Estate renewal has made huge progress over the last year with hundreds of new council homes delivered on the First Development Site, as well as a new community centre, health centre and library for residents to enjoy. I look forward to seeing this phase completed with residents moving in and enjoying their new homes.” Tom Copley, deputy mayor for housing and residential development, said: “I’m delighted to celebrate this milestone in the regeneration of Aylesbury Estate, along with our partners at Notting Hill Genesis, Southwark Council and The Hill Group. “Backed by funding from the Mayor of London, Aylesbury Estate represents a bold vision for the future of housing in south London. With 700 new, high-quality homes – 85 per cent of which are at social rent – and new state-of-the-art community facilities, this development is an exciting example of how we are creating a better and fairer London for everyone.”  Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Alliance Homes is celebrating a key milestone, with its total number of homes across the West of England now reaching 7,000. The landmark highlights the organisation’s commitment to playing its part in tackling the housing crisis in the region, with an ambition to build 2,000 new affordable homes by 2033. To mark the occasion, Alliance Homes’ Service Director for New Homes, Sarah McQuatt, met with one of the housing association’s newest customers, Samantha and David Mildon, who recently moved into a new build home with their daughter Bella and dog Huxley. Their four-bed, end of terrace home is part of the Parish Brook development in Nailsea, which is delivering 51 affordable homes to the area, including 42 for social rent and nine for shared ownership. Alliance Homes’ Service Director for New Homes, Sarah McQuatt (Left) cuts a celebration cake with Samantha and David Mildon. Samantha’s story shows the impact that safe and secure affordable housing can have on families. Before moving to Parish Brook in December 2024, she and her family lived in a privately rented home that felt too small, was expensive to heat and didn’t offer them long-term stability. The new home has given them much-needed space and security, particularly for Bella, who is blind and has autism and epilepsy. Bella Mildon Samantha’s story shows the impact that safe and secure affordable housing can have on families. Before moving to Parish Brook in December 2024, she and her family lived in a privately rented home that felt too small, was expensive to heat and didn’t offer them long-term stability. The new home has given them much-needed space and security, particularly for Bella, who is blind and has autism and epilepsy. Samantha said: “Moving into this house has made such a big difference to our lives – we feel like we’ve won the lottery, and every aspect of our lives has improved. “Before, Bella would have multiple meltdowns a day. Now it’s maybe once a week – and usually triggered by her epilepsy rather than her environment. “The open-plan layout has given Bella more confidence to move around, something she lost after she became blind. We now also have the space for her to receive medical treatments at home and even room for respite carers to stay overnight. Our new home has made us all much calmer, happier, and more confident for the future. This is somewhere we can put down roots and really grow.” Samantha and David Mildon at home with their dog Huxley David explained how the energy-efficiency of the home has also helped with heating bills. “We only need to put the heating on for an hour in the morning, and it stays cosy for the rest of the day.” Sarah McQuatt said: “It’s fantastic to celebrate this milestone and to see first-hand the difference a secure, affordable home can make to a family like Samantha, David and Bella’s. I’m so pleased to see them flourishing in their new home. “At Alliance, we want to do our bit to tackle the housing crisis in our region, and we build around 175 new affordable homes each year. Our ambition to build 2,000 new affordable homes by 2033 will help more local people and families access secure, well-built homes in the future.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Plans by housing association Bromford to regenerate two residential streets have been given the go-ahead, paving the way for more affordable homes and a vibrant new community. The regeneration project, which is Bromford’s largest to date, will see the housing association completely regenerate the 72 existing properties in Barrington Close and Fairford Close in Kingswood, South Gloucetershire and replace them with 85 new, energy efficient homes. The plans were unanimously approved by South Gloucestershire Council’s planning committee at its meeting last week. The existing properties are all two bedroom flats which were built in the mid-20th century using non-traditional building methods and in recent years have experienced issues with damp and draughts and have been expensive for customers to keep warm. Bromford’s plans involve replacing the flats with a mix of energy efficient one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom houses and flats, most of which will be available for social rent. Bromford’s Project Manager Noreen Twomey said: “We’re delighted to have gained planning permission for the regeneration of these two streets. It follows more than two years of consulting with our customers, neighbouring property owners and South Gloucestershire to produce these plans. Our existing properties are no longer of the standard that we want to provide and that our customers expect of us, so we are delighted to have secured permission to replace them with modern, sustainable homes.  “We want our customers to thrive in their homes and that’s not possible in old, energy inefficient properties, which is why estate regenerations like this are crucial to solving the housing crisis. Through this regeneration we are not only increasing the number of affordable homes in Kingswood, we are providing a better mix of housing and improved living spaces for our current and future customers.” Bromford worked with Nash Partnership, E G Carter and Infrastruct to produce the plans for the regeneration of the two streets. Commenting on the project’s approval, Paul Miller Sustainability Director and Architect at Nash Partnership, said: “While the site itself faces a number of challenges and constraints, we also feel it has a real opportunity to change for the better. The proposals will provide Bromford’s residents with renewable energy sources integrated into energy-efficient homes, helping to reduce fuel poverty, and the majority have private gardens – a key resident feedback request. We’re pleased the detailed plans have been given unanimous approval by the planning committee, and look forward to progressing the project to the next stage.” Bromford will develop the site in two phases, starting with the demolition of the first of the existing properties, which it aims to begin later this year. Bromford is part of the Bromford Flagship Group, a housing association owning more than 80,000 homes across the West of England, West Midlands and East Anglia. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Birmingham-based housing association Midland Heart has announced a £300 million investment to upgrade and modernise its housing stock over the next five years, aiming to enhance energy efficiency and improve living conditions for tenants. The initiative, named the ‘Homes Fit for Modern Living’ programme, will focus on upgrading around 6,000 homes. A significant 75% of these—approximately 4,500 properties—were built before the Second World War and are considered the least energy-efficient within Midland Heart’s portfolio. The project aims to make these homes more affordable to maintain, enhance thermal comfort, and help combat fuel poverty. The association is targeting an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least C for all upgraded properties. This investment is a key part of Midland Heart’s corporate plan to 2030, which has been shaped in collaboration with tenants. The plan also includes delivering 2,250 new affordable homes by the end of the decade, which would bring the total number of properties under its management to around 6,000. In addition to modernisation, Midland Heart is set to halve the time required to complete repairs, reducing it from 28 days to just 14. This will be achieved through a strengthened in-house maintenance team, a reliable supply chain, and strong partnerships with top-tier contractors. Chief executive Glenn Harris commented:“After spending the past few years simplifying our organisation and refocusing on our core social purpose as a landlord, I am confident that we now fully understand the priorities of our tenants and have the financial resilience to address them. “Tenants at Heart is our promise to put residents at the centre of everything we do over the next five years. We will empower our colleagues to make decisions on behalf of tenants, invest in their homes like never before, and build new homes to ensure more people in our region have access to quality, affordable housing.” As part of its long-term strategy, Midland Heart also plans to streamline its property portfolio through strategic disposals, ensuring all homes remain fit for purpose and deliver value for money. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals