A Midlands-based social landlord has appointed two new members to its senior leadership team.  Platform Housing Group has welcomed Gary Bell as Transformation Director and Nathan Barson as Procurement Director.  These latest appointments will further strengthen the Group’s management structure by adding to its existing diverse and robust experience.  Gary has spent his entire career working in the public sector, starting off in local government; he then progressed to working for three large IT companies in their consulting divisions as well as working for a national regulator.  He has joined Platform Housing Group from A2Dominion Housing Group in London.  This new role for the Group will focus on the transformation of services to achieve enhanced outcomes for customers and stakeholders.  Gary said : “I’m delighted to join Platform Housing Group; the combination of my transformation skills with my housing experience, will, I hope, bring about positive and continuous change.”  Elizabeth Froude, Chief Executive at Platform Housing Group said : “Gary’s transformation skills will help us bring greater alignment as we continue on our business change journey.  This will maximise the impact and efficiency of our change programme, enabling us to deliver on our strategy of improving services for our customers, ensuring alignment of all areas of the business and delivering on our objective of building a truly modern housing association.”  Nathan – who lives in Leicestershire – joined the Group from the Cabinet office where he supported the national programme on PPE to help the fight against Covid-19; previous to this, Nathan worked for some years for one of the UK’s leading construction and infrastructure companies, Kier Group.  Nathan said : “I’m looking forward to continuing to raise the profile of procurement within the Group, with the aim to build a world class procurement function.  Procurement, when done well, can be a real catalyst for change.  We will move beyond simple cost reduction to adding real strategic value to the organisation.  I’m delighted to be appointed to the newly created role of Procurement Director; the opportunity to apply my knowledge and experience into an organisation with such a fundamental social needs at its core is truly appealing.”  Rosemary Farrar, Chief Finance Officer at Platform Housing Group, said: “Continuous development of our business critical areas is crucial to ensure we meet the needs of our customers, partners and stakeholders.  Nathan’s appointment will help us to move successfully into the future and we would like to welcome him to the Group.”  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. 

According to a new research conducted by the University of Cologne, short-term rentals, such as Airbnb, are causing housing shortages and rent increases. The study, conducted by Felix Mindl and Dr Oliver Arentz, investigated the impact of short-term rentals on the Cologne housing market, with findings that come as a stark warning to other urban areas. The research found that pressure on the housing market has been steadily increasing over the past 10 years, with the number of short-term rental accommodations in Cologne increasing from 500 to nearly 6,200 in the last five years alone. Of these accommodations, 41 percent are rated as professional of which 65 percent are owned by hosts with multiple accommodations. The average income from short-term rentals exceeds that of long-term rentals after only 90 booked days. “While a large proportion of hosts can be considered home sharers, we find an increasing proportion of providers who have developed a professional business model from short-term rentals. Professional short-term rentals are available to tourists throughout the year and thus compete directly with long-term tenants, for whom the rooms are then no longer available,” commented Felix Mindl. The research also found that 14.2 percent of overall rent increases within the study period can be attributed to short-term rentals – this results in a rent increase of around 320 Euros per year for new tenants. The authors suggest that a registration process for the hosts could make an important contribution to improving transparency of the market structure.

A leading housing providers affordable homes development on the site of a former Coventry school has been given a mayoral seal of approval. Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, paid a visit to the site of the former Dartmouth School in Wyken which is being re-developed for housing association Stonewater, by local contractor the Deeley Group. It had been a redundant brownfield site for more than five years before Stonewater bought it from Coventry City Council, with plans to build 39 new homes, including 23 affordable rented and 16 shared ownership properties. On completion it will feature a mix of two, three and four-bedroom houses and provide vital housing to the local community. The Mayor praised the plans to regenerate the site, highlighting how the project aligns perfectly with his region-wide championing of a brownfield first approach to housing. He said: “The two key components for building new homes in our region are for developments to be ‘brownfield first’ and then also affordable to the people who live in those areas. “The development in Coventry ticks both of those boxes and is an example of the great progress we are making regionally to meet the housing challenge. I congratulate Stonewater and the Deeley Group for bringing this project to fruition and look forward to seeing it at its completion and serving the local community.” Matt Crucefix, Director of Development (South and West) at Stonewater, said: “There is a genuine need for more housing of this type in Coventry and it has been a pleasure working with the Deeley Group to bring this scheme to life. “With every new development, we look for ways to invest in the local economy – by working with local contractors and suppliers – to ensure we add as much value to the community as possible. “We’re delighted to hear Andy is pleased with the progress of this site so far and look forward to welcoming him to the completed scheme along with our new residents, later this year.” Peter Deeley, Managing Director of the Deeley Group, added: “We are giving this redundant brownfield site a new life and helping to provide crucial new housing for people in the locality too. “It was a pleasure to welcome Andy to Tiverton Road to discuss our plans for the site and how that will support his housing programme across the West Midlands. “We are working closely with Stonewater to deliver the development and hope Andy will return to visit when the project is completed.”

MCI Developments, part of national homebuilder Keepmoat Homes, has partnered with social housing provider, Together Housing, to bring forward a £13 million affordable housing scheme in Nelson, Lancashire. Having completed the purchase of the land off Priory Chase from private owners, the site will be transformed into a housing development of 114 new homes, comprising of a mix of one and two bed apartments, two bed bungalows and two-, three-, and four- bedroomed houses. All the properties will be available for affordable rent which will be managed by Together Housing. “We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Together Housing for the first time to deliver this residential scheme at Priory Chase. We were keen to work with a partner who had the same vision to transform the site into a thriving inclusive community, providing local people and local families with the opportunity to live in a new energy efficient new home at an affordable rent level. With 100% of the development being available for affordable rent, we’re excited to commence construction on site, and we look forward to delivering these much-needed new homes,” said Alex Wood, Regional Managing Director at MCI Developments. The development marks the first time MCI Developments and Together Housing have partnered to deliver an affordable housing project. “Together Housing are delighted to have partnered with MCI on this new development in Nelson, Lancashire. The residential housing scheme will provide excellent new homes and help to meet the demand for quality, affordable housing in the North West. We are very much looking forward to working with the team from MCI on this project,” added Russell Gallagher, Development Project Manager at Together Housing. Construction is due to commence in February 2021 and is expected to take approximately 3 years to complete.

MCI Developments, part of national homebuilder Keepmoat Homes, has submitted a planning application to Preston City Council for the delivery of a new affordable housing scheme on Blackpool Road, Preston. The proposal looks to transform the vacant site, which was once occupied by two car show homes, workshops and service areas into a new residential development of 73 dwellings. The proposed scheme has a wide range of properties comprising of 1- and 2-bedroom apartments, 1 bedroom maisonette apartments along with 2- and 3-bedroom houses. All the homes will be energy efficient and future residents will benefit from a well landscaped development. As a 100% Affordable Housing scheme, the homes are likely to be available for Shared Ownership and Affordable Rent which will be managed by a registered provider. “Our vision for the site on Blackpool Road is to create a place where people want to live and enjoy. If our plans are approved, all the 73 homes will be affordable, ensuring the development is a major social benefit to the existing community and provides much-needed new homes on a site that’s been left vacant for many years. We anticipate the site will prove popular for young couples and families, due to being close to Preston city centre, with excellent transport links and great amenities nearby,” said Alex Wood, Regional Managing Director at MCI Developments. MCI Developments is working alongside SATPLAN who are acting as planning consultants along with Trevor Bridge Associates, Crofts, IGE Consulting and E3P.

Work is officially underway for a key regeneration project that aims to bring affordable housing in East Leeds. National housebuilder Keepmoat Homes and Places for People, one of the UK’s leading affordable homes led placemakers, is redeveloping the brownfield site, located on Seacroft Crescent, into a 49 new home development, Pennine Crest.     The site, which was previously owned by Leeds City Council and acquired by Places for People from Keepmoat Homes in August 2020, will offer a variety of house types along with new public open spaces. All the homes will be available as affordable housing through either shared ownership or affordable rent.  “We are very excited to have started work on Pennine Crest. The site isn’t your typical new homes development, it is part of a wider regeneration project in East Leeds which represents a tremendous opportunity for the city’s growth, of which we will be delivering 10 out of the 13 developments,” said Paul Oldridge, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat Homes. “We have a strong track record of delivering new homes across the country, particularly on brownfield land such as this. We’ve brought our experience to this development and, working with Leeds City Council and Places for People, we’re breathing new life into the area and aim to make a big impact on the local community, delivering real value to not only those to choose to live there but also to the surrounding area.” The £8 million development is part of the Leeds City Council Brownfield Programme which is designed to support the city’s future growth aspirations and will see over 1,000 new homes being built across 13 development sites in East Leeds. The programme will not only contribute to the delivery of new homes in Leeds but will significantly improve the communities and neighbourhoods in which they are located.   “Pennine Crest will provide much needed affordable housing for people in Leeds on a former brownfield site. Alongside Keepmoat Homes and Leeds City Council, we will utilise our end-to-end expertise to create and manage a sustainable community for the long-term, with social value and people at its core,” added Nilam Buchanan, Regional Managing Director at Places for People. As part of their commitment to the local community and the city of Leeds, Keepmoat Homes and Places for People has pledged to support local people and help generate opportunities in training and employment through the use of sub-contractors and work placements. Work at Pennine Crest is expected to complete in Autumn 2021.