social housing

Housing Association Magazine Editor Joe Bradbury takes a sneak peek at the social housing Santa list. Excitable Edgar aside, what do we want for Christmas as a sector?

It’s understandable that many are struggling to feel jolly as another year is added to the number of years of failure in housing policy. The once common concept of home ownership is now an impossible dream for many, and untold numbers of people are being pushed into homelessness.

The catastrophic decline in social housing has left millions feeling insecure in unaffordable homes they’ll never own. Unless we take action, the future of man will be a generation of young families that are, at best, trapped renting privately for their whole lives, with billions in welfare costs being paid to private landlords. Bah humbug!

Ventilation specialists, Airtech has launched its new website at www.airtechsolutions.co.uk. Offering a clean, fresh, simple and attractive design, the site is packed with useful free resources to provide registered providers, contractors, landlords, direct labour organisations and residents, solutions to overcome condensation, mould and radon. Boasting new added functionality which makes navigating simple, the website offers visitors a guided route to find their individual solution for an enriched user experience.

Boden Fire & Security has announced a new partnership with leading gate and barrier manufacturer Roger Technology. Italy based Roger Technology is one of the worldwide leaders in gate automation and priority vehicle automatic barrier systems with sales in over 100 countries. The new agreement allows Boden to offer a full supply and installation service for the entire Roger Technology range throughout South West and Southern England.

In my last editorial piece for Housing Association I wrote about the government’s proposed changes to the Building Regulations as they relate to fire and broadly welcomed them (the main concern is that the very sensible measures proposed for high-rise residential buildings should also be applied to their shorter cousins).

But principles are only as good as the way that they are applied, and in terms of fire protection, and of smoke protection in particular, the devil is certainly in the detail. If these systems are to work properly they have to be designed properly, installed properly and maintained properly. Sadly, this does not always happen.

Social housing provider Stonewater has been named Legal & General Affordable Homes’ (“Legal & General”) largest management partner. Stonewater is supporting the organisation in delivering its ambitious development plan of building 3,000 homes by 2022, by leading on Legal & General’s housing operations across England.

The not-for-profit organisation is one of 14 housing organisations appointed as management partners to Legal & General. Stonewater is first expected to take over the management of 300 homes across England – in areas like Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Hertfordshire and Central Bedfordshire  – between now and March 2020, with another 700 to follow.

Current construction methods are so wasteful we must effect change. Housing Association Magazine Editor Joe Bradbury looks at ways in which social housing can lead the way to more sustainable construction.
At a recent event at Mitsubishi Electric’s Hatfield headquarters, just shy of 200 specifiers, architects, Housing Associations, housebuilders and heating engineers gathered to hear a passionate presentation from architect and TV presenter, George Clarke where he called on the housing sector to radically transform the way we build homes.

AG, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of innovative concrete products, has launched a new Fine Cast Brick which has been developed specifically with Housing Associations and Private Developments in mind.