Research from build to rent specialists, Ascend Properties, shows that the UK build to rent sector has performed well during the pandemic year with planning permission requests rising by 52%. Build to rent (B2R) is becoming a driving force in the UK new-build market, and while the COVID-19 pandemic has
Stafford MP Theo Clarke visited a new development of homes for affordable rent and shared ownership. The site of 23 houses and apartments off Sandon Road being built for Housing Plus Group, is revitalising an area on the edge of the town centre. With progress well underway on the site, the
A social landlord has created its first ever safe house in the Midlands. Platform Property Care – a subsidiary of Platform Housing Group, one of the UK’s largest social landlords – has reinforced a customer’s home after she ended an abusive relationship. The decision was taken to undertake the work so that the customer could remain in her home with her children, allowing
News reached us at the weekend that British retail institution John Lewis is expanding its range of wares from haberdashery, electrical goods and Waitrose goodies to houses. Yes, you will soon be able to pick out a place to live from their stores and not just with regard to the
A housing association has been shortlisted for one of the UK’s leading people management awards. Platform Housing Group – one of the largest social landlords in the county – has been shortlisted for the CIPD People Management Awards for 2021. The organisation has been shortlisted in the Best Digital/Technology Initiative in HR/L&D category. The
Work has started on an affordable housing development which will see every home powered by renewable energy. The 79 homes, which are being built on an empty site off Harrison Drive in Colne, will take advantage of the latest in green technologies for their power and heating. The development,
A £17.7m contract to deliver 113 new homes for Yorkshire Housing has been awarded to contractor Tolent. The development in Menston includes a mix of two, three and four bedroom homes and will be available for a mix of tenures including shared ownership, right to buy and affordable rent. The
Research from Build to Rent specialists, Ascend Properties, has revealed how the sector is poised to gain further momentum due to the number of units currently under construction. Previous research by Ascend found that where pandemic completions across the BTR sector were concerned, London had seen a 28% uplift, while
Connected Places Catapult has brought together Yorkshire Housing and Vantage UAV as part of the Government Drone Pathfinder Catalyst Programme. The programme is sponsored by the Department for Transport (DfT), and supported by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Together we aim to accelerate the safe adoption
Work is underway on a landmark housing project that will provide much needed homes for affordable rent and shared ownership in the heart of a popular Shropshire market town. Planning permission for nine new homes on the site of the former Beehive pub in Shifnal was granted in March and
Research from build to rent specialists, Ascend Properties, shows that the UK build to rent sector has performed well during the pandemic year with planning permission requests rising by 52%. Build to rent (B2R) is becoming a driving force in the UK new-build market, and while the COVID-19 pandemic has slightly slowed what looked to be a very impressive rate of growth, the B2R market has done an admirable job of recovering from the early shock to maintain positive momentum throughout a challenging year. Planning permission applications are a useful way to measure UK B2R performance because they show exactly how many developments are being conceived, how many of those result in permission being granted, and how many are either refused or withdrawn by the applicant. It enables us to examine both developer appetite and local authority willingness to push for a B2R boom in this country. The figures show that the pre-pandemic peak for B2R planning application approval came in Q2 2019 when 6,682 applications were submitted. Of these, 4,151, an all-time high of 62%, were granted full planning consent while 2,531, an all-time low of 38%, were either rejected or voluntarily withdrawn. By the time the COVID-19 pandemic began in Q1 2020, applications had risen to 7,900 submissions but the amount being granted was down to 52% while rejections and withdrawals rose to 48%. Q2 2020 brought a predictably significant slump for the sector. While the total number of B2R applications only fell slightly to 6,530, the approval rate dropped significantly to just 39%, while rejection and withdrawal jumped to almost 61%. However, from this point forward, the B2R sector quickly returned to a steady rate of growth. By Q1 2021, after a year of pandemic and lockdown, the B2R sector showed signs of being on the brink of a post-pandemic boom. An all-time high of 11,975 planning applications were submitted, up 52% on the year. Of these, 58% received full approval, a rise of almost 6% since the start of the pandemic, while 42% were either rejected or withdrawn, a drop of nearly -6% on the year. Managing Director of Ascend Properties, Ged McPartlin, commented: “It’s clear that build to rent is becoming the go-to choice for developers, with projects popping up both in major cities and smaller regional towns. “But what we’re also seeing is a clear uptick in willingness from local planning authorities to grant permission for build to rent developments. While developers sense high yield, low-risk opportunities, local authorities sense an opportunity to simultaneously meet the demand for new homes while rejuvenating and reinvigorating their economies and communities by introducing this new, dynamic way of living.” Table shows the ratio of UK BTR planning permissions granted and withdrawn during the pandemic, as well as the previous high for approvals (Q2, 2019) BtR planning application status Q2 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Pandemic Change Pandemic Change % Planning permissions granted – full planning consent gained 4,151 4,114 2,575 4,791 5,192 6,937 2,823 69% Withdrawn / refused 2,531 3,786 3,955 3,563 3,896 5,038 1,252 33% Total – estimated 6,682 7,900 6,530 8,354 9,088 11,975 4,075 52% Planning permissions granted – full planning consent gained % 62.1% 52.1% 39.4% 57.3% 57.1% 57.9% 5.9% Withdrawn / refused % 37.9% 47.9% 60.6% 42.7% 42.9% 42.1% -5.9% Data sourced from Gov.uk, Gov.scot, Gov.wales and Infrastructure-NI
Stafford MP Theo Clarke visited a new development of homes for affordable rent and shared ownership. The site of 23 houses and apartments off Sandon Road being built for Housing Plus Group, is revitalising an area on the edge of the town centre. With progress well underway on the site, the MP met Housing Plus Group Chief executive Sarah Boden and members of the development team to see what will be available when the first residents move into their new homes later this year. Housing Plus Group has partnered with Midlands construction firm Markden Homes on the development of three-bedroomed houses and one and two-bedroomed apartments. In a key project for the housing provider, Wheeldon Close will become the first new affordable housing site to be completed following the merger between Housing Plus Group and Stafford and Rural Homes. It is an important step towards fulfilling a commitment made by the Group during that merger, to help address the local housing crisis by starting work on 2,000 new homes for rent, shared ownership and outright sale across Staffordshire and Shropshire by 2023. The high specification homes have been built on the site of a former car showroom on one of the gateway roads into the town centre. It was named by pupils at John Wheeldon Primary Academy, who wanted to honour a former head teacher who went on to become mayor of Stafford. Theo Clarke said: “I was delighted to visit the new development to see the regeneration of a brownfield site in Stafford – it is fantastic to see a positive example of local development, including homes for shared ownership, to help people get on the housing ladder. One of my priorities as the local MP is to ensure that people have the opportunity to own their own homes. “It was also an opportunity to discuss matters raised by constituents and to work together to find solutions.” Sarah Boden said that she was delighted to welcome the MP to Wheeldon Close and to show her around some of the homes and apartments under construction: “We are very proud of the homes that are taking shape on this development. These are high quality, attractive homes for local people to rent and to be able to step onto the first rung of an incredibly challenging housing market through shared ownership. “I believe very strongly in the transformative power of housing not only to change lives but to revitalise locations like this, close to the town centre. The homes will help us to make a positive difference to homes, lives and communities; bringing people and families into the area, sustaining local facilities and helping shops and businesses to thrive. “We are looking forward to welcoming the new residents of Wheeldon Close soon and in a key year for our Group, we are also nearing completion of the nearby Wren House, which will provide 80 one and two-bedroomed retirement apartments for affordable rent.”
A social landlord has created its first ever safe house in the Midlands. Platform Property Care – a subsidiary of Platform Housing Group, one of the UK’s largest social landlords – has reinforced a customer’s home after she ended an abusive relationship. The decision was taken to undertake the work so that the customer could remain in her home with her children, allowing her to keep living in the local area where her support network is, and, crucially, to feel safe and secure. Glyn Howard, Lead Engineer at Platform Property Care and the initiative’s designer and project manager said : “Keeping our customers safe and ensuring they have the right level of home security to suit their circumstances is a vital part of the service we provide. We are absolutely delighted with the finished product and wish our customer and her family many safe and happy years in their home.” The work included : Iron gates and slatted wooden gates to the side of the property with secure latches; A dusk to dawn light above the front door; An outward opening 44mm solid core fire rated door on the main bedroom. The organisation currently supports customers who are victims of domestic abuse by listening, providing advice, signposting to other specialist agencies, operating safety checks in homes to ensure survivors feel safe as well as dealing directly with perpetrators. This latest project will be included in the company’s application to DAHA – or the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance; this year, will see the social landlord become accredited within best practice guidelines as set out by the government backed DAHA initiative. Having established the first accreditation for housing providers, as a member of DAHA, Platform Housing Group will aim to always deal with victims of domestic abuse in a fair, patient and consistent manner. It will also show its commitment to the issue as well as providing ongoing employee training. The housing association is part of The Drive Partnership which is made up of Respect, SafeLives and Social Finance. It challenges perpetrators of domestic abuse aiming to fundamentally change perpetrator behaviour to make victims and families safe. Duncan Palmer, Head of Responsive Repairs at Platform Property Care concluded : “We firmly believe that all of our customers and employees should not live in fear of violence or abuse from a partner, former partner or any other member of their household. As a large provider of affordable housing we have a significant role to play in tackling and preventing domestic abuse. “Domestic abuse impacts upon all communities, creating a sense of fear and the potential for reprisals and criminal activity. It is a serious and widespread crime affecting all members of our society, including children.” Statistics surrounding domestic abuse in the UK make for sobering reading : 1 in 4 women will experience some form of domestic abuse within their lives; A staggering 2 women a week are killed by their partner or former partner; 1in 4 LGBT relationships is abusive; The average victim will suffer more than 50 incidents before reporting; Worryingly, the number one barrier preventing women from leaving abusive situations is housing. Platform Housing Group – which owns 46,000 homes in total – completed 1448 homes in 2019/20 (1,598 in 2018/19) at an investment of £258m (£228m in 2018/19). The Group also built more social rented homes – at a figure of 981 – during the past 2 years in England than any other provider, 523 in 2019/20, almost 33% of the total homes built. Platform Housing Group’s operating area is from Herefordshire in the West to the Lincolnshire coast in the East, and from the Derbyshire Dales in the North to the Cotswolds in the South. If you are a Platform Housing Group customer and is experiencing domestic abuse, please call 0333 200 7304. For further information please contact Duncan Palmer, Head of Responsive Repairs at Platform Property Care on Duncan.Palmer@Platformhg.com.
News reached us at the weekend that British retail institution John Lewis is expanding its range of wares from haberdashery, electrical goods and Waitrose goodies to houses. Yes, you will soon be able to pick out a place to live from their stores and not just with regard to the things you put in it. This is a sensible initiative for a 157-year-old company that realises that times are changing and that department stores may not be the destination of choice for new generations any longer, given the indefatigable rise of Amazon etc. Faced with such challenges firms can either ‘do a Woolworths’ and just die in the face of adversity or they can pivot. John Lewis and their employee partners have chosen the latter with the announcement that they will be building 10,000 homes on company land over the next ten years. Interestingly, these are not planned to be built as resales. John Lewis is not looking to compete with the likes of Bovis, Persimmon nor Redrow. No, these properties are for the long haul as build-to-rent homes that will provide rental income to the company Infinitum. Additional, solid revenue that will contribute quite significantly to their P&L and will be backed by the asset value of the buildings themselves for balance sheet strength. You have to applaud the boldness of this scheme and its product market fit from existing resources yet also its pure simplicity. Which got me to thinking, what if other British based firms were to innovate in this way too? How many dwellings could be created for the country’s growing number of enthusiastic renters and how lucrative would this be for struggling firms that are perhaps now ‘land asset rich’ yet ‘bottom line poor’? Some of the UK’s biggest landowners are, unsurprisingly, housebuilders given that they jointly own or control some 700,000 potential building plots. But other super-sized players inadvertently include such examples as Tesco, who apparently own over 11,000 acres around their existing stores or assets that have been purchased with the intention of building new ones. The fag packet that I have just reached for to work out how many homes that represents shows that over 220,000 homes could be provided from Tesco’s space, based upon an average of 45 dwellings per hectare as is about the average. That’s quite some solution and brings new meaning to the strapline ‘Every Little Helps’. And it’s also quite some income at a typical monthly rent of £900+ per month – equating to perhaps £2billion a year in top-line revenue. I’ll leave you with this inexhaustive list of UK landowners with which to boggle your mind over what I suggest the future of build-to-rent could be. Note that the housebuilder I have included is one of the smallest holders of all, comparatively (Source: ABCFinance.co.uk). Isn’t it amazing how solutions are sometimes just sitting there just waiting to be implemented? Landowner Land Acreage Owned in England Ministry of Defence 397,000 United Utilities 140,100 Duke of Westminster 140,000 Duchy of Cornwall 130,600 Network Rail 100,500 Church of England 73,000 Severn Trent 51,700 Sir James Dyson 33,000 Homes England 19,300 Taylor Wimpey 14,600 Tesco 11,000 Source: ABCFinance.co.uk
A housing association has been shortlisted for one of the UK’s leading people management awards. Platform Housing Group – one of the largest social landlords in the county – has been shortlisted for the CIPD People Management Awards for 2021. The organisation has been shortlisted in the Best Digital/Technology Initiative in HR/L&D category. The category encouraged submissions from organisations that have understood their end users and their needs to build solutions that have delivered business benefits, met user needs and achieved strategic objectives through the innovative use of technology or digital solutions. The Group’s entry – entitled Learning in the Flow of Work – described how the social landlord’s Learning and Development team designed learning that supported colleagues moving to a CRM, via MS Office 365 Dynamics. The learning was easily made available in ‘the flow of work’ to enable colleagues to quickly and simply access the learning and bespoke support they needed, when they needed it. This approach removed the need for traditional classroom training delivery which takes people out of their roles to learn and placed learner and customer needs at the heart of the learning design. Alison Bishop, Head of Learning and Organisational Development at Platform Housing Group said : “This change required upskilling on a new system, new processes and changes to behaviour around customer interaction. Following a review of what needed to be achieved from a learning perspective, the Learning and Development team put forward the concept of ‘learning in the flow of work.’ It has allowed us the opportunity to accelerate our own Learning and Development strategy, underpinned by our values and behaviours, where colleagues own their own learning. We are encouraging self service upskilling by giving learners easy access to the learning material while carrying out their roles, making this process more agile, productive and easier to manage. “We are therefore thrilled to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award.” The next stage in the process will require Platform Housing Group to present its entry to a panel of judges; the awards ceremony will take place at The Grosvenor House in London on Tuesday 28 September. Platform Housing Group – which owns 46,000 homes in total – completed 1448 homes in 2019/20 (1,598 in 2018/19) at an investment of £258m (£228m in 2018/19). The Group also built more social rented homes – at a figure of 981 – during the past 2 years in England than any other provider, 523 in 2019/20, almost 33% of the total homes built. Platform Housing Group’s operating area is from Herefordshire in the West to the Lincolnshire coast in the East, and from the Derbyshire Dales in the North to the Cotswolds in the South. For further information on the scheme please contact Alison Bishop, Head of Learning and Organisational Development at Platform Housing Group on Alison.Bishop@Platformhg.com.
Work has started on an affordable housing development which will see every home powered by renewable energy. The 79 homes, which are being built on an empty site off Harrison Drive in Colne, will take advantage of the latest in green technologies for their power and heating. The development, which will comprise 43 two-bedroom homes, 28 three-bedroom homes and eight four-bedroom homes, is the first project of a new partnership called PEARL Together Ltd. which sees Pendle Council, Barnfield Construction, who are also the main contractor on the site, and Together Housing Group joining forces to offer more housing for affordable rent in Pendle. Each home will be fully electric. Solar tiles and a battery store will allow electricity from solar power to be used throughout the day. The homes will be heated by ground source heat pumps. These pumps use pipes to extract natural heat from underground. This system will provide the homes with hot water and heating. Combined, these measures will help lower the homes’ carbon footprint as well as residents’ energy bills. The development will be known as Jim Smart Way after a Together Housing resident who was a passionate supporter of his local community in Colne. Jim passed away in 2018 and naming this development after him is a fitting tribute to his legacy. Kevin Ruth, Deputy Chief Executive of Together Housing Group, said; “It’s great to see this development underway with our partners Pendle Council and Barnfield Construction. As in many of our operating areas, rising house prices are making it difficult for local people to find suitable accommodation in their home area. These homes for affordable rent will give local people looking to stay in their area another option. “I’m also really pleased that these homes will have renewable energy systems which will lower the development’s total carbon emissions. Contributing to the UK’s drive to low carbon homes as part of action to address climate change is one of our key aims in our new corporate plan.” Councillor Nadeem Ahmed, Leader of Pendle Council and a PEARL board member said; “PEARL has expanded its joint venture to partner with Together Housing, offering a great quality of life for a wide range of people thanks to a mix of housing for sale and affordable housing. “We are proud to work together to bring this new development of affordable, eco-friendly housing to Pendle. This is part of our commitment to working collaboratively in Pendle to tackle global warming and the effects of climate change.” Tim Webber, Chairman and Managing Director of the Barnfield Group and PEARL board member commented; “We’re delighted to be bringing forward this eco-friendly and much needed affordable housing development in Colne, with our partners. Being contractors and developers who are based in Nelson, we are very passionate about regenerating Pendle. The team on site are doing a fantastic job and we’re looking forward to delivering another quality housing development in the town.” The development has been made possible thanks to £3.5m Homes England Strategic Partnership funding. Together Housing was announced as one of the government housing agency’s strategic partners in January 2019, receiving £53 million to help deliver 1,152 additional new homes by 2025. Installation of the renewable energy systems has been part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
A £17.7m contract to deliver 113 new homes for Yorkshire Housing has been awarded to contractor Tolent. The development in Menston includes a mix of two, three and four bedroom homes and will be available for a mix of tenures including shared ownership, right to buy and affordable rent. The development will be delivered on behalf of Yorkshire Housing who manages more than 18,000 affordable and social rent homes, and is supported with Homes England funding. Sian Grindley, director of development at Yorkshire Housing, said: “At Yorkshire Housing we’re passionate about building homes and communities that our customers are proud to live in and call home. Menston is a desirable location for many people and we’re proud to be able to offer a choice of homes at this site. “We’re excited about what we’re doing with smart technology here, which will benefit both the customer and the environment. We’re looking at how we can use innovative products at every stage, from the construction method itself through to the technology that our customers will use and benefit from. This is the first site that we’re looking to use structurally insulated panels for the build and we’re also considering a number of different smart tech options for the finished homes. This will mean greater resident control and it’ll also make it easier for us to monitor the energy performance of our rental homes. “Our progress means we can deliver more, much needed homes to the region and continue working towards our strategic priority of delivering 8,000 homes by 2030. We’re delighted that our hard work will give hundreds of people an opportunity to move into a high quality new home.” Tolent, who has regional bases across the North East and Yorkshire, will be using a mix of modern methods of construction (MMC) on a number of units, which would see the structure of some homes go from foundations to roof level in just one week. Other benefits of MMC ensure homes are more environmentally friendly, more energy efficient and reduces the carbon footprint of the development. Mike Brown, commercial director for Tolent said: “This is a fantastic win for us and we’re delighted to be working with the team at Yorkshire Housing to deliver this flagship scheme. “It’s a privilege to be involved in creating new, inclusive communities and we’ll also be delivering on our commitment to create employment and apprenticeship opportunities as well as engaging with local schools, colleges and universities.” Work is expected to start on site later this summer and is expected to complete in spring 2024. Tolent announced its intentions to expand its housing division further into Yorkshire in 2020 and has recently won a string of new contracts in the area. Contracts include a £2.6m project to create 14 affordable homes in Batley and a £4.1m job that will see 32 new homes delivered in Kirkbymoorside. Including work completed in 2020 and secured work into 2023, Tolent is set to deliver around 3,000 new homes covering both the private and public sector across the North East and Yorkshire.
Research from Build to Rent specialists, Ascend Properties, has revealed how the sector is poised to gain further momentum due to the number of units currently under construction. Previous research by Ascend found that where pandemic completions across the BTR sector were concerned, London had seen a 28% uplift, while elsewhere across the UK completions were down -33%. However, when analysing sector data on the number of BTR units currently under construction, the opposite is true. The latest data shows that across the UK, 36,054 BTR units are currently in the pipeline, a -1.8% drop year on year. In London, there are 16,227 BTR units currently under construction in 2021, a year on year decline of -8.2%. However, elsewhere across the UK, the number of BTR units currently in the process of delivery has climbed by 4.1% in 2021 when compared to the previous year. Ascend also analysed the Build to Rent pipeline In terms of the sheer value of bricks and mortar it will be bringing to market as a result. In total, the 36,054 UK wide BTR units currently under construction are estimated to add £10.9bn in value to the Build to Rent market. With new build property values higher in London, Ascend estimates those units currently under construction to add an additional £8.1bn in market value. While higher than the rest of the UK, this does equate to a -7.5% drop in the total value of the capital’s BTR pipeline on a year to year basis. In contrast, the BTR pipeline across the rest of the UK is estimated to be worth £5.7bn and while it trails London, this is an impressive 9% uplift on an annual basis. Managing Director of Ascend Properties, Ged McPartlin, commented: “The strength of the build to rent sector goes beyond the number of units being delivered to market and so it’s important that we also consider those currently under construction as an indicator of future sector performance. In this respect, the strength of the sector is pretty evident as despite the uncertainty posed by the pandemic, build to rent construction is down less than two per cent in 2021 when compared to the same time last year just as Covid was taking hold. While London is leading the way in terms of pandemic completions and the overall potential value of the build to rent pipeline, the rest of the UK is steaming ahead in terms of an increase in the number of units under construction and their year on year value growth. So there are positive signs across the board that the build to rent sector continues to build momentum and it’s also important to note that this is based on the Q1 pipeline only, with these figures only likely to grow as the year progresses.” BtR units under construction Location 2020 Q1 2021 Q1 Change 2020 Q1 to 2021 Q1 London 17,672 16,227 -8.2% Regions 19,040 19,827 4.1% Total (UK) 36,712 36,054 -1.8% Data sourced from BPF.org BtR units under construction est total values Location 2020 Q1 2021 Q1 Change 2020 Q1 to 2021 Q1 London £8,765,352,072 £8,112,222,335 -7.5% Regions £5,239,677,609 £5,710,379,764 9.0% Total (UK) £10,606,015,560 £10,922,786,332 3.0% Values based on quarterly new build values and pipeline delivery for each quarter
Connected Places Catapult has brought together Yorkshire Housing and Vantage UAV as part of the Government Drone Pathfinder Catalyst Programme. The programme is sponsored by the Department for Transport (DfT), and supported by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Together we aim to accelerate the safe adoption of drones across UK business sectors by engaging with industries and showcase the benefits of integrating drone services into existing workflow. Drones are not new to property management but, despite their benefits, drones are not yet widely used across industries. This collaboration with Yorkshire Housing aims to catalyse step-change improvements and provide the evidence to encourage more use of drones to drive safety, productivity, and efficiency for other housing providers. For example, a drone building inspection can offer faster diagnosis and improved service for maintenance repairs at customer properties. Often the management, repair and maintenance of properties are major costs to housing providers. Traditionally physical inspections at height use scaffolding or mobile work platforms to inspect the condition of properties. These can be labour intensive and expensive to set up. Depending on the location, they can also result in disruption, intrusion, and security issues with unauthorised access. This is where drones come into their own, improving safety and productivity by providing visual access to difficult to reach and hazardous spaces, reducing the use of elevated work platforms. Drones can capture high-quality aerial imaging and 3D models. This leads to quicker and more effective diagnosis whilst saving the cost of inspection expenditure and reducing disruption for customers. Ultimately, drones can support more targeted maintenance and move towards a more preventative maintenance regime in the long term. Aviation Minister, Robert Courts said: “We’re pioneering a golden age of aviation innovation in which drones will play a huge role in not only transforming the future of transport but providing solutions to global issues. Yorkshire Housing’s trial is the latest in a string of exciting new trials which harness the benefits of drones to provide quicker, cheaper and more effective services for the public.” Commenting on the programme, Andy Gamble, Executive Director Growth & Assets at Yorkshire Housing, said: “It’s really exciting to play a part in the national Drone Pathfinder Catalyst Programme. Yorkshire Housing look after some 18,000 properties across Yorkshire, so drones offer us a real opportunity to improve our service. Not only does it make real savings by reducing the need for expensive scaffolding and using heavy machinery to carry safety checks, but it also means our customers can have problems at their homes diagnosed and fixed far sooner.” Hannah Tew, Director of Air Mobility, Connected Places Catapult said: “We are delighted to be leading the Drone Pathfinder Catalyst programme on behalf of the Department for Transport and our first demonstration with Yorkshire Housing and Vantage UAV has really shown how drones can be adopted in different sectors to improve existing services.” Many drone solution service providers are already available on the market, which is expected to grow significantly over the next few years. They can provide end-to-end services even for organisations with little or no experience of using drones. The results from the demonstration with Yorkshire Housing will be published towards to end of this month and showcased in a webinar on the 29th June. Find out more by registering for Driving productivity using drones in the Housing Sector webinar co-hosted by Connected Places Catapult and Disruptive Innovators Network.
Work is underway on a landmark housing project that will provide much needed homes for affordable rent and shared ownership in the heart of a popular Shropshire market town. Planning permission for nine new homes on the site of the former Beehive pub in Shifnal was granted in March and the builder TC Homes, working in partnership with Housing Plus Group, has started on site. Kerry Bolister, Director of Development at Housing Plus Group explained: “Since it was closed in 2017, the pub and its car park have become something of an eyesore, attracting anti-social behaviour and many in the town will welcome the start of work to transform the site. “The scheme has also won the backing of councillors for providing homes in an area with very high demand for affordable accommodation.” TC Homes, which has worked with Housing Plus Group on previous projects and brought this development opportunity to the attention of the housing association, is the construction partner on the project that will see nine, three bedroomed houses built (six houses for affordable rent and three for shared ownership). Built as three terraces, they’re expected to be completed by May 2022 and Tim Charnley, TC Homes Director, commented: “We are excited to get started on our new project with the Housing Plus Group. The build will consist of nine affordable houses for the local community and will utilise a space that has sat dormant for some time. “With the country having such a large housing shortfall, we hope our contribution to the construction of affordable homes will benefit the surrounding community and provide opportunities to local sub-contractors and suppliers. “We appreciate that any kind of construction can cause some inconvenience to those directly affected but we hope with working in partnership with residents, schools and the wider community we can achieve another fantastic development.” The development is part of wider plans by Housing Plus Group to start 2,000 new homes across Shropshire and Staffordshire for rent, shared ownership and outright sale by 2023 as the organisation strives to make a positive difference to the homes, lives and communities it serves.
