Our development programme
As a long-term strategic partner of Homes England and with a proven track record of delivering the home people want, where they are needed, we’re proud to be one of the leading housing providers in the Midlands and East of England. Through our ambitious development programme, we’ve committed to doing even more.
Delivering a record number of new homes
New homes delivered in 2021/22
£79.5m
invested in development activity
Despite another challenging year, we’ve delivered a record number of new homes to meet a range of housing needs.
As we continue to play our part in tackling the housing crisis, we’re delivering the high-quality homes people want, where they are needed most and focusing on areas where we’ll have the most impact.
Ranked by Inside Housing as one of the sector’s best delivering providers, we invested £79.5m to deliver 679 homes in 2021/22. Most of these properties were available for social, affordable or intermediate rent or low-cost ownership options, such as shared ownership or Rent to Home Buy.
This was achieved despite the unprecedented challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic and the difficulties facing the industry post-Brexit, with escalating material costs and supply shortages, as well as a premium of skilled workers across the sector and real issues around delivery and quality.
Through our new Asset Maximisation Team, we’ve an overview of how our assets contribute to our strategic objectives, meet long-term customer needs and help us achieve high future standards.
By strategically investing sustainable assets and disposing or remodelling assets that don’t meet financial or social standards, our stock portfolio is fully future proof. In the last year we’ve identified:
- 31 scheme reviews, incorporating 548 homes
- Three large scheme reviews plus one completed and approved for disposal
- 75 garage sites.
In depth
Development – 2021/22 in review
This section and accompanying video detail our achievements in delivering the homes people need, where they’re needed the most.
You can catch a glimpse of the high-quality affordable housing we deliver and how our colleagues help people find their new home.
Strategic partner with Homes England
New units under contract
New schemes secured
Through our strategic partner status with Homes England, we’re continuing to deliver one of the largest affordable programmes across the Midlands and East of England, building the right mix of quality new homes for rent, shared ownership, rent to buy and market sale to meet local demand.
With a sound track record for delivery, we’ll develop an ambitious programme of 4,000 new homes by 2028/29, with a mix of grant and non-grant funded opportunities.
Our Land and New Business Teams offer expertise and innovation, sourcing and securing land and package deals to fully expend our grant ask and deliver our targets.
In the last year, we’ve secured 24 schemes and entered into contract on 792 units. We’re confident we’ll continue to meet our strategic partnering commitments and business plan objectives as we source significant greenfield sites, areas of brownfield development, while delivering on our rural target and exploring modular options and alternative heating sources.
The Group’s sales programme has gone from strength to strength in a vibrant market. As well as providing a comprehensive sales package, from signage to full site set-up, we’ve developed new ways of working, marketing and selling completed and off-plan homes via live Facebook events, fully embracing digital technology and multiple social media channels.
Through this approach, we’ve minimised our sales period, ensured schemes handed over during the pandemic were fully reserved and exceeded our business plan target.
Working in partnership
We’ve enjoyed our first completion as part of the Evera Homes LLP with Cross Keys Homes, Hyde Group and Flagship Group.
This saw 60 homes completed, including 24 affordable, with all homes sold and occupied at the historic RAF Upwood site in Cambridgeshire. Further phases have been purchased and will provide a further 490 new homes, along with significant investment in creating and integrating the community.
Other opportunities include a development onsite at Lakenheath, Suffolk for 81 homes and a partnership with Vistry to deliver a large-scale scheme of 680 new homes at Littleport, East Cambridgeshire, incorporating 40 percent affordable homes.
The Group has strong and established relationships with local authorities, and we’re partner of choice across 13 potential developments in Huntingdonshire, regenerating brownfield sites that have laid dormant for decades.
We’re also seen as the key entity to lead on opportunities with other smaller providers, such as local YMCAs and care and rural specialists through the Blue Skies Consortium. Blue Skies, which we continue to manage with Nottingham Community Housing Association, remains highly regarded by Homes England.
Our partnership with Countryside goes from strength to strength as we break ground at Witham St Hughs, Lincolnshire for 100 new homes, continue our award-winning retirement and family scheme in Humberston, North East Lincolnshire and progress to planning stage on further schemes across our priority geographical areas.
Case study
California Road, Huntingdon
This fully affordable 50-home development in Huntingdon is being built using modern methods of construction. In a first for the Group, sustainably-sourced timber-framed panels are manufactured in factory conditions before being transported to the site and craned into place.
Sales activity
We’ve achieved strong sales performance throughout the year, with demand for our homes often exceeding supply. As a result, during quarter three, we surpassed our business plan projections.
In addition to a high volume of sales transactions, as a result of the buoyant market conditions, our average share on first tranche sales increased while the average void period significantly reduced.
Longhurst Group – units sold
2022/23 target
2021/22
2020/21
2019/20
Keystone – units sold
2021/22
2020/21
2019/20
Longhurst Group – sales income
2022/23 target (£20m)
2021/22 (£22.3m)
2020/21 (£20.9m)
2019/20 (£20.6m)
Keystone – sales income
2021/22 (£2.8m)
2020/21 (£2.4m)
2019/20 (£5.8m)
© Longhurst Group Limited
Longhurst Group Ltd is a charitable housing association registered in England as a community benefit society (Reg. No. 8009) and registered with the Regulator of Social Housing (No. L4277).
Registered Office: 1 Crown Court, Crown Way, Rushden, Northamptonshire NN10 6BS. VAT Reg No. 326 0270 36. A member of the National Housing Federation.