Our Development Ambition
About us –
Fairhive Homes Growth –increasing our supply of housing Development –building the right homes in the right places Our partners –we can achieve more together
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Our customers –at the heart of all we do Our homes –leaving a legacy for the future Our funders –maximising our programme of affordable homes Value for money
About us
We are a ‘not-for-profit’ registered provider of affordable housing with almost 9,000 homes and more than 20,000 customers. We were formed through stock transfer from Aylesbury Vale District Council in 2006. Since then we’ve continued to grow and now operate across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Berkshire and Northamptonshire.
We exist to support residents and neighbourhoods, maintain quality homes, build new ones, and ultimately create thriving communities where people want to live.
We believe that everyone deserves a place to call home. That’s why we’re committed to tackling the housing crisis through the development of new affordable homes, for both rent and homeownership.
Our values enable us to uphold our visionhomes for living, communities for life
customer focussed open minded and innovative expert in all we do
Growth –increasing our supply of housing
As one of our strategic objectives, we already have a strong development programme in place to deliver homes to those in need. This document outlines our ambitions for our development programme and how we’ll approach the growth of our housing stock in the coming years.
We develop new homes for rent and shared ownership and aim to stretch our resources to deliver as many new homes as we can within our available funding. We have a commercial subsidiary which allows us to deliver open market homes using our own resources and through joint ventures, where this will assist us to deliver more affordable homes.
Development –building the right homes in the right places
We’ll continue to develop in sustainable locations, making sure we can provide quality services to our residents, meeting a variety of needs – including urban and rural neighbourhoods.
We’re uniquely placed in Aylesbury to take advantage of the town’s growth as a Garden Town, as well as the
ambitious housing growth plans for surrounding areas.
We have a large amount of rural housing and want to continue to support rural communities, so we aim to deliver at least 10% of our new homes in rural locations.
We’re working towards reducing our environmental impact
Our partners –we can achieve more together
“We aspire to work with a diverse range of partners to deliver our growth ambitions.”
We work with agents, developers, house-builders and contractors and will get involved early to influence design. Working together can allow us to achieve more. We’ll establish joint ventures and work with other affordable housing providers, where appropriate.
We’ll continue to work with housebuilders to deliver the affordable housing elements of their developments through section 106 agreements –looking to establish early partnerships to ensure our standards of quality and sustainability are met. Following another of our objectives – working towards reducing our environmental impact and improving our sustainability – we’ll give preference to partners who are working towards zero carbon.
Our customers –at the heart of all we do
“Whether we’re delivering homes to rent or buy, we will meet a range of housing needs.”
Within our affordable programme we aim to achieve 20% social rent, 50% affordable rent and 30% shared ownership. We also provide some specialist homes to meet individual needs identified by our Local Authority partners. Whilst we don’t provide care services, we’ll consider working with other specialist providers if we establish a need for such provision.
We’ll make sure our new build homes are regularly inspected through the construction process and handed over to customers with the highest standard of finish. After completion, we’ll provide detailed information to new residents to allow a smooth home move.
20% social rented
50% affordable rented
30% shared ownership
Our homes – leaving a legacy for the future
“We make the best use of technology, new and traditional, to build homes with great design and style – homes that stand the test of time.”
We’re committed to making sure all of our new homes are built to the highest standards of quality and finish.
We’ll consider all methods of construction with the aim of delivering long life, reducing construction waste and using sustainable materials.
The external environment is just as important to us as the homes we build. We want to invest in well-designed new developments which offer access to open space and sustainable local infrastructure. However, where there is a clear business case, we'll consider the purchase of existing housing stock.
Our funders – maximising our programme of affordable homes
“We’ll seek to strengthen our relationships locally and nationally to allow us to secure the best outcomes for our business.”
We’ll continue to utilise a mix of public and private sector funds and seek grant whenever available – particularly for social rent.
We’ll raise funds through the financial markets, securing funds against our assets and stretching our resources through cross subsidy from commercial activities.
We have a track record of delivering new developments in partnership with Homes England and Local Authorities –this will continue.
Value for money
“We’re in business for the benefit of our residents and we’ll continue to balance quality with cost.”
We’ll place particular emphasis on the long-term sustainability and maintenance of our new homes, as well as simplicity and usability for our residents.
We have a strong development team and will use our in-house skills to deliver the best outcome, alongside the use of external consultants.
We’ll continue to balance quality with cost
We know we can achieve more when we work with others. If you’re interested in working with us, whether you’re in local or national government, a funding body, a private developer, a contractor, supplier or a fellow registered provider – we’re keen to hear from potential partners.
Julie Porter
Executive Director of Development
julie.porter@fairhive.co.uk
Jon Hobbs
Head of New Business
jon.hobbs@fairhive.co.uk
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