23 November 2009

The acute shortage of affordable housing is well known and in the run up to next year’s General Election, we’re going to be hearing a lot more about the difficulties of getting onto the property ladder.

Irwell Valley develops brilliant examples of social housing. It’s part of our business. We’ve collected numerous awards for our new builds and conversions of iconic landmarks such as No.1 The Crescent and Richmond Hill in Salford.

The emphasis on new supply doesn't mean that we can afford to neglect our existing stock or tenants – a point well argued in Professor John Hill’s seminal work on The Future of Social Housing. His report recommends that the focus of housing providers should be the long term viability of their homes and neighbourhoods in terms of customer demand, housing stock requirements and the challenging agendas of the future.

Our strategy totally resonates with those recommendations and the findings of the National Conversation. That is, to focus on customer care and continuous improvement of our properties and neighbourhoods.

The economic circumstances over the past 18 months have resulted in traditional financing of affordable housing being thrown into jeopardy. None of the national targets for building new market and affordable housing set in 2007 will be met. Changing demographics and climate change require radical approaches if we are to meet customer demand and respond to the pressing environmental issues.

Through Gold Service, we established a new agenda for customer service in the housing sector. Our new strategy – reducing carbon omissions in our properties, improving thermal efficiency, creating active and supportive communities and accommodation for older people, investing in non traditional prototype homes that are cheaper in construction to speed up the development cycle, unconditional service guarantees to residents and greater choice in home improvements - simply builds on the strengths that we have developed over the years in terms of customer service and resident empowerment

Neighbourhood Regeneration has always been top of Irwell Valley’s agenda. We actively encourage a ‘sense of place’. It’s what you say you want – and it makes good business sense to us too.

Our recently launched Golden Foundation will provide funding to stimulate employment and education initiatives as well as community activities to improve the social and physical fabric of our neighbourhoods.


Hope you had a chance to hear 13-year-old Cameron, one of our younger residents, on Radio Manchester on Tuesday.  Cameron – along with Beryl Hawke, Chair of Albert Park Tenants' Group - was invited in to the studio to talk about one of our anti-social behaviour projects. He had the guts to get involved and is now transformed from ‘a teenage nuisance’ (his own words) in his local neighbourhood into someone with positive goals, who’s actively taking part in improving his community. Proof that 13-year-old boys are also seeking that ‘sense of place’.

Tom