Posted on October 23rd, 2020 by Elaine Davies
Congratulations to our Development Trainees, Indy Panesar and Alex Mackness, who have completed our two-year development trainee programme and have now been appointed Project Managers.
Over the last two years, Indy and Alex have been rotating around different sections within our Development, Sales and Regeneration Team to gain as much experience as possible to build up the skills to enable them to manage their own projects.
They are also in their second and final year studying a Higher Apprenticeship in Construction Management at Wolverhampton University.
Indy said: “I feel really happy to have completed the programme. It certainly went quick! It means a lot to me – it’s the start of my career and I really want to excel as a Project Manager.
“Over the last six months the training has been intense yet rewarding. I was given the opportunity to work alongside colleagues and manage two schemes.
“Now I’m project managing a development of 66 homes in Leamington Spa and a small development of four homes in Worcester.
“I just want to say a big thank you to everyone in the Development Team who have helped me develop the skills I have today. It’s been an amazing opportunity and I’m very grateful.”
Alex said: “I’ve achieved so much more than I set out to do two years ago. There is still a lot more to learn, but that’s the nature of the role, as there’s always change.
“It’s been more intense over the last six months as we were given our own schemes to manage. We dedicated more time on our projects and worked on our final assessments, where I delivered a presentation on improving energy efficiency within our new build homes.
“I’m now managing a small development in North Warwickshire and a couple in Coventry and a medium-sized development in Worcester which total 130 homes.
“A huge thank you to the whole Development Team for their dedicated support over the past two years, and to the Development Leadership Team for this incredible opportunity.”
Our Executive Director for Development Nick Byrne added: “On behalf of everyone in the Development, Sales and Regeneration Team I want to congratulate both Indy and Alex on completing the programme and being appointed Project Managers.
“It has been a pleasure having Indy and Alex in the team and I’ve enjoyed watching them grow in confidence as they’ve progressed through the programme.
“They’ve both been very dedicated and committed throughout and we’re very much looking forward to seeing them put all their hard work into practice as they manage their own projects from now on. Well done both!”
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Posted on October 21st, 2020 by Elaine Davies
Congratulations to our Development Project Manager Natalie Littlehales who has passed her exams with a Distinction to gain her Chartership with the Chartered Institute of Builders (CIOB).
Natalie has always wanted to gain a CIOB Chartership and with help from our organisation, she signed up for the course 12 months ago.
Being a member of CIOB demonstrates an on-going commitment to the industry, innovation, sustainability and the environment.
The course covers topics including managing health, safety and quality, implementing sustainable construction development, commercial development, strategic and financial management, professional judgement and responsibility.
Natalie said: “I’ve worked in Construction for 17 years now and I’ve always wanted to gain CIOB Chartership as it’s so significant in our sector and in our roles within development.
“I’m not going to sugar-coat it and say my exams were a breeze, as it was quite possibly the most stressful two weeks of my life! The work was hard, but I knew that was what I needed to do if I wanted the results. I was committed and determined to do it.
“Women remain under-represented in construction so being able to demonstrate my skills and knowledge and be recognised for it is a huge achievement for me.
“I’m now signed up to do the National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety. People have said to me I must be mad to put myself through it again, but I love my job and I am so passionate about what I do.
“A big thank you to my colleagues and to Citizen for supporting and believing in me.”
Our Executive Director for Development Nick Byrne added: “On behalf of all the Development team I want to congratulate Natalie on her well-deserved achievement.
“To gain a Distinction is fantastic, it’s great seeing all of Natalie’s dedication and hard work paying off.
“Good luck with your final written assignment Natalie and with your National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety. Well done for always making the most of every opportunity and always trying to be the best person you can be.”
Now Natalie has passed her CIOB exams, she needs to submit a written assessment of her experience, skills and competences to gain CIOB Chartership.
The assessment needs to be submitted by the end of this month and Natalie will find out her results by the end of this year.
Good luck Natalie!
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Posted on October 20th, 2020 by Elaine Davies
Our shared ownership homes at our Little Moor Hill development in Smethwick have been completed and will be handed over to our customers.
We have worked with TC Homes on the £3.8m development which started last year.
There are 22 homes at the site – 11 shared ownership and 11 affordable rent which were handed over in September.
Shared ownership homes are a great opportunity for people to get on the housing ladder.
It involves buying a share in a brand-new property on a part buy and part rent basis. Rent is then paid on the part the customer doesn’t own.
The homes are a mix of two- and three-bedroom properties and last year pupils from the Devonshire Junior Academy chose the road name for the development.
They named it Symphony Drive after Symphony Hall in Birmingham.
Our Director of Signature New Homes Michael Park said: “It’s fantastic to see the homes at Little Moor Hill completed and ready for customers to move into.
“The homes have been finished to a high standard and have been built in a well-connected area that is close to transport links and Birmingham city centre.
“I’m sure the purchasers will love living at this new development.”
Michael attended the site with representative from TC Homes.
Site Manager from TC Homes (Contracting) LTD Paul Bennett added: “It’s been brilliant working with Citizen on this site and we are pleased the site has been completed.
“We hope that customers who are moving into the homes at the site will enjoy living here and love their new homes.”
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Posted on October 12th, 2020 by Elaine Davies
Construction has started on 53 new homes across Coventry which will provide affordable housing in the city.
We are working with Seddon to deliver the homes on each site.
These include:
- Almond Tree Avenue – 36 homes with a mix of two and three-bedroom homes. The £3.6m development is part of wider transformation projects in the city which will see the reinvention of Riley Square and the Bell Green district centre
- Everdon Road – six new affordable rent homes will be built on the brownfield site that was formerly occupied by low-rise flats
- Clifton Street – work on 11 new homes has also started.
Work on all sites should have started in March 2020, however coronavirus restrictions and concerns around the health and safety of those on-site meant that groundwork was delayed until July 2020.
Over the last couple of months progress has been made to groundworks with bricks being laid on the first plots.
Our Executive Director of Development, Nick Byrne, said: “We’re pleased to see work starting at these three sites in Coventry despite an unusual start to the year with the outbreak of Covid 19.
“When completed the homes will provide affordable homes for people living in Coventry. We are looking forward to seeing these sites progress over the next year.”
Rob Moore, Business Unit Director at Seddon, added: “All three of these vital developments are part of the bigger picture for the regeneration of Coventry. It’s great to be part of three further projects in the Midlands that will truly benefit local people and the community.
“Our aim is to help Citizen achieve its goal to increase the supply of affordable homes in the Midlands. Despite a few initial delays, we’re powering on with works to the sites and we’re really pleased with the progress so far.”
All developments are due to be completed in summer 2021.
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Posted on October 8th, 2020 by Elaine Davies
Our 2019-20 annual report is now available to view.
The report profiles our performance and highlights everything we achieved in the year up to the end of March 2020.
Our Chief Executive, Kevin Rodgers, said: “We launch our annual report this year after celebrating our first year as Citizen. Becoming Citizen is the biggest change in our history which has paved the way for a transformation in the way that we work and provide our services.
“That transformation is far from complete, but within our annual report this year you will see that we have made significant progress as we strive to make the biggest and best impact we can on the lives of the people who live in our communities.
“When you read the stories and see some of the numbers you can see what a massive contribution we make in our communities.
“I hope you all enjoy reading about the progress we’ve made together.”
Read our 2019-20 annual report here.
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