Our development strategy

We want to use our financial capacity to provide more affordable homes and accessible housing services for the local community.

Development Strategy 2009-2014

1. Introduction

The Board has agreed that growth is the priority for the coming years. This development strategy sets out the plans and ambitions of the Association in the next 5 years.

2. The Strategy

The key elements to our strategy are as follows:

We will use the Association's financial capacity to develop new homes. This will include use of reserves and new borrowing.

We will expand the range of tenures to include conventional affordable housing, grant free market rent, new build homebuy (previously known as shared ownership) and management of market rent housing.

We will consider transfer of homes from other associations working within our areas of operation and growth.

We will develop community projects that benefit our tenants where funding is available and demand is established.

We will expand our area of working into the neighbouring boroughs if opportunities arise that would allow us to continue to provide good accessible housing services.

Through our membership of the South London Preferred Development Partnership we will work with Wandle Housing Association as our development partner in developing new homes.

We aim to develop at least 10 new homes in the next 3 years when we will review our capacity to develop more homes.

3. The principles behind our development strategy

The reasons for developing more homes are to:

  • Provide new homes for current and future tenants
  • Increase the asset base, thereby creating future financial capacity and spreading risk
  • Spread fixed costs over more homes in management

We will aim to ensure that all homes will:

  • Be well designed and constructed to high standards
  • Be built to the sustainable homes standard
  • Offer levels of security and comfort consistent with the decent homes standard
  • Contribute positively to their neighbourhood in terms of design
  • Reflect the expectations of their users

Transfer of any homes will only be done where:

  • The proposal carries an acceptable level of risk
  • We can be certain that we can continue to provide good services

4. Areas of operation

We will continue to work in our current area: Penge, Anerley, Crystal Palace, Elmers End, Beckenham and Sydenham.

We will consider opportunities for new development in the bordering areas within neighbouring boroughs: Croydon, Southwark and Lambeth and Lewisham.

5. Identifying Opportunities and Delivering Results

We will work with Wandle Housing Association through the South London Preferred Development Partnership to identify grant funded affordable housing.

We will appraise other opportunities that present themselves and make decisions based on risk and benefits.

This strategy will be reviewed annually by the Board.

Approved by the Board 25/2/10