Development and Delivery Support for Futures Housing Group

Background

ARK were commissioned in a number of different roles for Futures Housing Group over the past two years. These have included the writing of development procedures and policies, the management of the development delivery team, the management of a complex scheme through to completion and occupation, the procurement of an EA framework and Interim New Business Manager.

On the new business front we were appointed to lead a team of 4 officers in order to help Futures reach their target of 750 new units over 5 years.

Approach

There were a variety of ways in which to reach this target including identifying and securing new development opportunities, from identifying sites, land and build package deals and S106 opportunities to maintain the Association’s ongoing development programme and meet their strategic aims. As Futures stock is concentrated in Amber Valley to the north and Daventry to the south, there is an identified need to bridge the gap in between and a focus on new schemes in that area.
Land Agents, contractors, developers, employer’s agents, architects, and landowners were all approached with the express intention of increasing development opportunities that could meet our brief and site and development opportunity searches were undertaken accordingly.

The area identified is predominantly rural, but our brief was specific and highly targeted. Therefore, and necessarily, there was a high level of proposed scheme rejection due to schemes failing to meet the brief.

We realised fairly early in the process that the brief for new schemes was too broad. A lot of abortive time was spent trying to find sites in between the existing concentrations of stock, meaning that both staff and those tasked with finding new opportunities on their behalf were becoming frustrated with the lack of progress on the identified sites. We realised that the brief needed to be tightened to look at opportunities from a clear housing management perspective and focus our attentions accordingly. We spoke to housing management and maintenance colleagues and altered the brief accordingly to allow for an easier site sifting process.

During the time we provided the New Business Manager Chris Seeley stepped into a short term interim role covering development delivery with Future’s lead officer had and recuperated from an operation. Chris focused on the quality of data to drive accutate handover reporting and working with our New Business Manager we improved the handover process between the new business and development delivery teams. Chris also led the completion of a scheme where two contractors had entered administration leaving S278 / 38/104 agreements handing. The project included the re-diversion of a wrongly located footpath and the commissioning of a pumping station, considerable engineering works to the main road embankment as well as completion of the now occupied homes.