Property - City's ambitions are sky-high

Dec 11 2006 By James Barton, The Journal

A housing association has proved a catalyst for major change in one part of the region, as James Barton discovered.

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Sunderland's skyline has utterly transformed, perfectly symbolising the five-year regeneration of the city in an attempt to buck the trend of years of decline.

One housing group in particular has been a key agent of change - the Sunderland Housing Group (SHG) - which has invested £320m on improvement projects since 2001.

Through the creation of a specialist construction division, SHG - formed when 36,356 properties were transferred from Sunderland City Council - has been involved in the bulk of the city's major new-build projects.

This property stock transfer - the largest in England - was given the strongest possible vote of confidence at its inception in 2001 after a 73% ballot turnout led to an 88% approval vote from its tenants.

SHG consists of five local housing companies responsible for landlord functions, liaison and support to customers, as well as local budgets and business plans.

The facts illustrate just how influential SHG is to the formation and delivery of housing strategy in Sunderland.

The city is the largest of the five Tyne and Wear local authorities, with a population of around 284,000 and, despite its population decreasing during the last 20 years, there are definite signs of stemming the loss.

SHG is by far the dominant landlord in the city and currently owns 84% of the affordable housing stock and 27% of Sunderland's overall housing stock.

Dave Piggett, director of design and build at SHG, said: "As we developed our knowledge of local areas and customers' needs it became clear that, in some areas of the city, there were long-standing problems with unwanted housing and problems associated with multiple deprivation and neighbourhood decline.

"We have responded to this by developing a wider agenda and we have added regeneration and renewal to our key promises to customers.

"People who live in the city will tell you how vibrant the place is compared with 10 years ago.

"However, we are not resting on our laurels and we have a number of exciting investment plans in the pipeline."

This last comment is no idle boast. Dave, who has worked with the group for a number of years, is responsible for overseeing the annual £60m investment programme.

As well as driving forward the investment plan, the construction team is one of the main contractors who deliver work for other divisions of the group.

Firstly, it is responsible for building new homes across the city on behalf of Pathway Homes. It is the main contractor working with Emperor Property Management on refurbishing Sunderland's prestigious Maritime Building, building a new tower block consisting of residential and commercial property in the £9m River Quarter scheme - part of the Sunniside project in the east end of the city - and working on a £3.8m project on High Street West in conjunction with RAN, an Irish development company.

SHG is also keen to broaden its horizons by seeking work outside of Sunderland.

For example, it is building 27 new properties in Carrville, situated next to the A1(M) in Durham. It is also lending its expertise to the likes of Home Housing in Cramlington and Erimus in Middlesbrough by delivering a number of jobs for them.

Dave continued: "It is vital that we pool our skills and resources to help build sustainable communities across the region.

"Increasingly, companies in the built environment are forming unique and productive partnerships with each other.

"It's important that more companies do this so the North-East can continue the renaissance it has enjoyed during the last few years.

"From our own point of view, we are looking to work with other communities in the region and our specialist construction company will allow us to do just that.

"During the last few years the North-East has experienced significant changes in the local housing market, with rising house prices and increased demand for affordable homes from would-be first-time buyers."

SHG's scope goes beyond bricks and mortar, and includes the implementation of a rigorous anti-social behaviour policy in partnership with Northumbria Police and the formation of 11 focus groups to allow residents to have a greater say in how their community is run.

The next five years promise to deliver an even bigger impact, especially if the group's ambitious investment plans are anything to go by.

Either way, it seems SHG is determined to play a prominent role in changing the skyline - not just of Sunderland - but of the whole North-East.