Steve Williams

BUILDING HOMES FOR ISLANDERS

Steve Williams has been the chief executive officer of the Guernsey Housing Association (GHA) for the past 13 years. In that time, he has overseen a huge increase in the social housing provided by the organisation, along with the provision of partial ownership schemes to allow islanders to get on the property ladder. Steve was recognised with the ‘Industry Professional of the Year Award’ at the 2018 Property and Construction Awards. He told us about his time at the helm of the GHA and the aspirations he still has for the future of the organisation.

When Steve Williams spotted an advert for the role of CEO of the GHA in the UK housing press in the spring of 2006, he had no idea of the impact it would have on his life and career path. Having worked in the sector since he left university, he had a plethora of experience in both marketing and developing shared ownership and housing association schemes throughout the UK. He had also spent time in the private sector to experience working in a profitdriven environment.

When Steve saw the GHA advert he was based in Wiltshire as group development director for a housing association with a portfolio of 18,000 properties across the south-west and Hampshire. Enjoying his job and with his family settled, he certainly hadn’t been considering a move to the Channel Islands. But with his wife’s encouragement, he applied for the role and was offered it the same day he was interviewed. The GHA in 2006 was a very different body to the organisation Steve now manages. It had only been established in 2002 and had built 163 properties in that time. Aside from Steve, the staff consisted of one full-time and one part-time employee. From the start, he knew that working closely with others in the industry would be key to the GHA’s success.

“I understood the impact of what the GHA was doing, especially in a small place such as Guernsey and with the considerable amounts of money that were being put into our projects. A few feathers had been ruffled by the time I arrived so I was very keen to build relationships. I wanted to build up trust in the GHA as an organisation and the role we could play in the island, so I did my best to engage with a wide panoply of stakeholders to make sure they were confident in our ability to fulfil the role.”

In Steve’s previous roles, the focus had been on developing

new homes and managing the build process. In Guernsey, his remit was much wider. That development aspect was key, but the GHA homes also needed to be managed and maintained. Residents needed to be liaised with, rent needed to be collected and repairs had to be made. At the same time, he was responsible for areas such as securing finance for those crucial new developments. Luckily for him, the breadth of the job was part of its appeal.

“When I arrived the GHA was operating on a smaller scale than the organisations I’d been involved with previously, but the job itself was much broader. I was immediately involved with and responsible for lots of different areas, and I liked the variety. I would be bored rigid if I had to do exactly the same thing every day, but that’s never the case in this role. I’m also a results-driven person and there is plenty of scope for that here.”

Those results speak for themselves. In the 13 years Steve has been CEO, he has overseen a huge increase in the GHA’s portfolio of properties. From 163 when he started, they now have responsibility for 952 properties, with even more in the pipeline. But as the island has changed in that period, so too has the GHA – identifying needs and diversifying into areas where there is a gap in the provision of properties.

“If the private sector is dealing with something, we don’t need to. Our focus is always on meeting the housing needs in the island. We have therefore diversified over recent years into areas where there are gaps in provision such as extra care housing, key worker housing and our new developments working with Health and Social Care to provide accommodation for people with autism and learning disabilities.” That focus on need has also been reflected in a slow down in the GHA’s building programme over the past few years. The recent leveling off of house prices along with the growth of the private rental sector and low interest rates has meant less pressure on the demand for social housing. There are still waiting lists for their properties, however, with around 150 applicants for rented housing and 118 for partial ownership.

The major projects they have undertaken such as the recent opening of the new development for islanders with autism at Le Vieux Jardin have been a major investment in the island’s construction industry. The GHA does their best to keep as much work as possible on-island and their projects have helped keep a flow of work for the industry during the downturn of the past few years. “We always try to work with local firms and to date have only employed local main contractors on all of our sites. We do, however, always tender our work as we need to have competitive pricing and value for money. In my time here, we’ve only gone off-island for architectural work once as we needed expertise in the provision of extra care facilities, but we ensured that a local firm shadowed the UK architect so that they could work on phase two of the development. We’re always really keen that our money stays local, and there is excellent expertise and accessibility to people on the island.”

While Steve’s job has diversified and grown, so has his team. The two members of staff he started with have now expanded to more than 20, with responsibility for the housing management and maintenance of the GHA’s properties.

IN THE 13 YEARS STEVE HAS BEEN CEO, HE HAS OVERSEEN A HUGE INCREASE IN THE GHA’S PORTFOLIO OF PROPERTIES. FROM 163 WHEN HE STARTED, THEY NOW HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR 952 PROPERTIES, WITH EVEN MORE IN THE PIPELINE.

The new homes at Le Vieux Jardin

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“I have a great staff team who play such an important part in ensuring that the GHA performs well. They do such a good job that it makes my life much easier, and I’m very grateful for their dedication and support.”

One area Steve always remains heavily involved with, however, is the development of new additions to the GHA’s portfolio.

“Design is hugely important and something I’ve always prioritised. We should never be building uniform houses where everybody lives in a carbon copy of other properties, which was the old approach to social housing. I always want our developments to be what’s known as ‘tenure blind’, so if you walked down the street you wouldn’t be able to identify what type of ownership the house had because of its appearance. I like to be able to drive past our properties and think that I would be happy living there, and that there’s a longevity to the development.”

While the look of the GHA properties is important to Steve, so too is their practicality and efficiency for residents.

“The GHA should never be a guinea pig for untested technology and gimmicks, but there is plenty we can do in areas such as energy efficiency and we do our best to implement those ideas. Get the building fabric right in terms of energy efficiency and the rest will follow. While many of our houses are built with blockwork, we are also now using structurally insulated panels which are imported through local suppliers. We are always looking for more energy efficient methods of building, both for the

GHA IN NUMBERS

Total number of properties: 952 Key worker homes: 35

Social rental properties: 690 Properties in development: 107

Partial ownership properties: 224 Staff members: 24

I LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE PAST OUR PROPERTIES AND THINK THAT I WOULD BE HAPPY LIVING THERE, AND THAT THERE’S A LONGEVITY TO THE DEVELOPMENT. environmental benefits and the fact that we are housing people on low incomes so the lower the proportion of their income that is being spent on fuel the better.”

The GHA has around 80 properties currently under construction, with a few more in the pipeline. Steve acknowledges that land supply is always a challenge in the island, with their last current site due to be built out in March 2021.

“We have scaled down the amount we are building, but there is definitely still a need for our developments, especially now we are looking at the diversified needs of islanders in our partnership with Health and Social Care. We are, as always, on the lookout for land but it has to be at the right price and in the right location.” Luckily for Steve, his job satisfaction doesn’t have to come from seeing new developments take shape. He is happy to see the impact of the work the GHA has already undertaken.

“The positive side of the job isn’t always seeing the new buildings go up, but the people you meet afterwards who are living in them. When you speak to them and they tell you that life is so much better in their energy efficient, well-maintained property you know that we are achieving something valuable. I always want to be making a difference and that’s what I hope I have done here.”

JERSEY CONSTRUCTION COUNCIL AWARDS

The annual Jersey Construction Council Awards recently took place at the Royal Jersey Showground. More than 400 people were in attendance to recognise individuals and organisations connected with a wide range of projects undertaken over the past 12 months.

Martin Holmes, chairman of the Jersey Construction Council, spoke to the audience during the evening and told them that whilst the perception is that the industry is busy, the reality is that 17 months into a new government he had little positivity to report on. He said there are a number of fundamental issues affecting the industry and the consequential lack of certainty could have a significant negative impact on the sector’s plans to maintain a locally sourced, highly skilled and modern industry, through investment in key areas such as innovation, digital transformation and developing future talent.

The Council has worked hard over the past year to attract youngsters into the industry and reported significant progress on specific vocational initiatives launched over the last year, in conjunction with their education partners. These include the new GCSE equivalent in Design, Engineer, Construct, the Primary Engineer programme which visits schools and nurseries, and the Civil Engineering Apprenticeship course.

The 12 awards presented at the gala dinner highlighted the extensive range of experience and talent in the local industry, recognising young achievers and innovative ideas that will be crucial in the development of the island’s built environment.

The major project winner for this year was College Gardens, which won the Ronez Project of the Year over £5m category. One of the island’s most iconic buildings, it is Grade 2 listed and over 130 years old. The team were contracted to build 187 new homes, use over 1.5km of electric cable, over 10,000 tons of concrete, enough steel reinforcement and mesh to cover 3½ football pictures and at its peak had a workforce on site of over 250 – providing challenges on all levels.

This year the judges also made a recommendation that an extra award be presented to an individual who had made a significant impact to the industry. This award was presented to Briony Price of DB Malorey Ltd who has shown excellent trade skills and has added substantially to her employer’s growing business. She is a true role model for this industry and the judges specifically wanted to recognise her achievements.

THE WINNERS

Highlands College/Skills Jersey Star of the Future Award

Ruaraidh Watson – Camerons

Granite Products Industry Achiever of the Year Award

Richard De Gruchy – ROK Group

Jersey Development Company Health & Safety Award

Camerons

JE Sustainability Award

IFC 5

Glen Dimplex Best Use of Innovation Award

New Ready Mixed Concrete Production Facility

Grant Thornton Business of the Year under 10 Employees

Jersey Energy

Comprop Business of the Year over 10 Employees

ROK Group

Islands Insurance Project of the Year up to £1m

Maison Du Coin

Paul Davis Freight Project of the Year between £1 - £5m

Summerland Enabling Works

Ronez Project of the Year over £5m Award

College Gardens (Blocks 2-6)

JeCC Lifetime Achiever

Dan Hartigan

LES VARDES HOUSE

The distinctive red brick façade of Les Vardes House in La Charroterie will be a familiar sight to islanders. But those who have taken a closer look over the past few months will have noticed some major changes happening to the historic building. This old Victorian depository has been given a new lease of life to make it more suitable for modern office workers, while still retaining its period charm.

The renovation of Les Vardes House has been undertaken by family-owned Guernsey investment company, Esher Investments Limited. They spotted the potential of the building late last year. At the time, they were aware that its current tenants were due to vacate in spring 2019 and so there was an opportunity to renovate the somewhat dated space.

As it had been more than two decades since the building was first converted into offices, Esher Investments were keen to ensure their development work resulted in a workspace that would meet the demands of today’s tenants. One of the major needs they wanted to address was the lack of car parking. The previous adaptation of the office had installed a garage with car stackers which allowed parking for four vehicles, but took up a large part of the ground floor space. Esher Investments came up with a more practical solution – buying the next door property and obtaining permission to demolish its shed and club building to provide car parking for the office.

That space has now provided not only room for car parking, but also bicycle storage and even electric car charging for those using the building. GONE ARE THE CRAMPED RECEPTION AREA AND NARROW CORRIDORS – REPLACED WITH A WELCOMING AIRY OPEN SPACE. With the parking issue resolved, the way was clear to adapt Les Vardes House to have a modern open plan layout on the ground floor. Opening up that space has made a substantial difference to the building’s character from the moment you step inside. Gone are the cramped reception area and narrow corridors – replaced with a welcoming airy open space.

Upstairs, a large open plan first floor provides plenty of accommodation for office workers, while the second floor provides a genuinely impressive space with attractive views, complemented by a mezzanine level complete with newly installed frameless glass balustrades.

Les Vardes House clearly has history, and the developers have been determined to preserve that feel of the building while catering to modern requirements. Where possible, brickwork has been left exposed to show the original fabric of the building. Suspended LED lighting has been installed to ensure the practicality of the space, but feature lights have also been added to enhance the industrial feel.

The ironmongery in the building has also been made a notable feature. In accordance with a new black, grey and white colour palette, all brass has been removed and replaced with more appropriate materials. On the top floor, steel roof trusses are exposed to add to the industrial feel.

While the building’s heritage is recognised, so are the requirements of modern working spaces. One of the major changes made in the renovation has been the installation of air conditioning as the building did not previously have an AC system. Here too, though, the industrial feel has been retained with exposed ducts and pipes adding to the character.

Another new addition to the facilities has been in the sanitary provision, with a highspecification shower room and disabled toilet added on the ground floor and two more toilets installed upstairs, all with highquality fixtures and fittings.

While Esher Investments have put a lot of effort into ensuring they meet the needs of a future tenant, they are also aware that the new residents will want some input of their own. Plumbing and waste points have been installed on each floor, but the tenant will be able to decide what kitchen spaces they want to fit.

The company has acted as its own contractor for the project, bringing in sub-contractors to complete all necessary works. That approach seems to have been a success – the project is on track to complete shortly with tenants able to move in before the end of the year.

TOWN CENTRE OFFICES TO LET

4660 Sq. Ft with Parking Newly Refurbished Air Conditioned Raised Floors Detached Building Own Naming Potential Call Terry Gardiner +44 (0) 1481 742280 Terry.Gardiner@savills.gg www.lvh.gg