We recently held a consultation for customers to showcase our updated plans for Spon End ahead of submitting the planning application later this summer.
We first announced our plan to transform and regenerate Spon End, Coventry, in 2019 and our initial ideas for the area were shared in 2022. At the time we held a consultation event to get customer feedback.
The plans include demolition of the below areas so we can build around 750 homes:
Kerry House / Milestone House / Trafalgar House
Spon Gate House
Grindlay House / Drinkwater House / George Poole House
Gardner House / Fennel House / Winslow House / Corrie House and Givens House
Wellington Gardens / Sherbourne Street and Upper Spon Street (85-99).
Since 2022, we have updated our plans to include customer feedback. These changes have included the re-siting of blocks further away from existing homes that will be retained and we have also provided more detail on the block design, proposals for the Wellington Gardens area and the green spaces.
Following the consultation event earlier this week, we will take customer feedback on board and plan to submit the application to Coventry City Council for planning later in the summer.
Our director of regeneration services Kevin Roach said: “The regeneration of Spon End is a major project for Citizen which will improve the area for our customers. We are planning to demolish blocks throughout Spon End and build around 750 homes.
“We have consulted our customers throughout the process so we know what is important to them and have adapted our plans to take their feedback on board. This feedback included the importance of green spaces in the area, so we have made sure this is incorporated in our development. We plan to enhance the area around the River Sherbourne and increase the amount and quality of green spaces on the Spon End estate.
“We held a consultation event earlier this week to get feedback from our customers on our current plans before they are submitted for planning permission later this summer.
“At Citizen we want to build homes that meet the needs of our region, and this includes demolishing homes that are no longer fit for purpose and building properties that are warmer, more comfortable and meet our customers’ needs.”
We plan to start the demolition of Kerry House, Milestone House and Trafalgar House in autumn 2024 and, subject to planning permission, will start construction of phase one in Spring 2025.
You can find out more about our plans and give us your feedback here.
Our development team has had a stellar year and completed 704 homes during the 2023/24 financial year.
This is broken down into 653 affordable homes and 51 for market sale.
It is the first time the team has completed more than 700 homes in a single year.
In previous years the team completed 630 homes in 2022/23 and 515 homes in 2021/22.
Our executive director of development Nick Byrne said: “I am so proud of what the team has achieved in this record-breaking year.
“The team excelled to deliver this number of homes and I am so pleased they have completed more than 700 for the first time ever.
“At Citizen we will build homes to meet the needs of our region and our ambitious development programme commits us to helping meet the ever-increasing need for the right homes in the right areas.
“I’d like to say thank you to everyone in the development team for your hard work and well done for everything you have achieved.”
Between 2023 and 2026 our development team will build 1,650 new affordable homes and up to 300 homes for market sale. Any surpluses from the sales of homes are put back into the business to improve services to customers or provide more affordable homes.
You can read more about our development plans in our business strategy here.
Congratulations to Natalie Treadwell, our head of partnerships and strategy who is a finalist for a Women in Housing Award.
Natalie has been shortlisted for the Woman of the Future – Housing Association award.
The Women in Housing awards champion the successes of women in the housing sector.
Our executive director of development Nick Byrne said: “Natalie has been nominated for this award not only for the work she does but how she does it. I am so proud of everything Natalie has done for Citizen, particularly for her work building genuine relationships through a very empathetic style with her colleagues, always placing herself in the other person’s shoes when consulting and arriving at solutions.
“Natalie has written a fantastic strategy for us which is unique in that it’s not a boring stand-alone development strategy but a document that supports what Citizen is trying to achieve as an organisation around improving customer satisfaction, linking into our change initiatives like ‘Putting Our Citizens First’ which is our organisation-wide programme that seeks to embed a customer-centric focus into our culture.”
In recognition of the role Natalie continues to play in the directorate and the wider organisation, her role has recently been enhanced. Her new role as head of partnerships and strategy means all her skills relating to fostering internal relationships will be put to use for external partnerships too.
Nick added: “I am confident that the enhancements to Natalie’s job will be only the latest step in her leadership journey and that she will go from strength to strength and become one of affordable housing development’s great leaders and for all the reasons above should win the Woman of the Future award.”
Natalie added she is proud to be a finalist at the awards.
She said: “When I found out I was shortlisted, I didn’t know what to say!
“It was an honour to be nominated for the award but to be in the shortlist is overwhelming to be honest.
“I had to check the email over and over to make sure they hadn’t made a mistake!
“I think it’s a great demonstration of the way we are heading as a company and I’m proud to be a finalist for these awards.”
The awards take place on Monday 24 June at Manchester Central. We wish Natalie the best of luck!
Affordable homes at Sonnet Park in Stratford-upon-Avon have been handed over to us and are ready for customers to move into.
We have partnered with Persimmon Homes South Midlands on the scheme which is made up of 22 affordable homes and 45 outright sale.
The affordable homes have been handed over to us and this was marked by a visit to the development by our director of development Richard Whittaker and Persimmon Homes South Midlands’ managing director Russell Griffin.
Our development project manager Alex Mackness said: “It’s fantastic news that homes have been handed over to us at Sonnet Park to help with the housing need in the area.
“At Citizen we are committed to working with our partners to make a positive difference to our customers and communities – and our partnership with Persimmon is an example of this.
“We’re looking forward to our customers moving into the homes at Sonnet Park and we hope they will be very happy living there.”
Russell Griffin, Managing Director at Persimmon Homes South Midlands, said: “Handing over a portion of our homes at Sonnet Park is the latest example of our successful partnership with Citizen, which is delivering much-needed new homes for local families.
“We’re continuing to work hard to prioritise quality and affordability for all our customers. As well as the homes which have now been transferred, the average price of a Persimmon home is 25% below the market average in England and Wales – extending the opportunity of home ownership to more local families.
“We’ll continue to work closely with our local partners to ensure our investment makes a positive difference to communities across the region.”
The National Housing Federation (NHF) has launched a campaign urging political parties to commit to a long-term national plan to solve the housing crisis which would support thousands of households in the West Midlands.
Many families are in desperate need of a safe, suitable and affordable home and we are backing the campaign, alongside several other housing associations in the West Midlands, ahead of the mayoral elections.
Figures provided by the NHF found that 64,382 households were on the waiting list for social housing in 2022/23 and only 13,579 new social housing lettings were available across the West Midlands.
This is broken down into:
Coventry – 7,469 households on the waiting list and 1,991 new social lettings were available
Birmingham – 20,625 households on the waiting list and 4,557 new social lettings were available
Hereford – 1,520 households on the waiting list and 740 new social lettings were available
Worcester – 3,238 households on the waiting list and 368 new social lettings were available
This means on average across the West Midlands at the current rate of lettings, and if no other households joined the waiting lists, it could take just under five years before every household currently on the waiting list can move into a suitable home that they can afford.
Our chief executive Kevin Rodgers said: “As rising house prices continue to outpace wages and where the average price of a home is over eight times average wages, the West Midlands desperately needs more affordable homes to serve a thriving economy.
“Clear political direction and support is critical if we are to provide the right homes of the right quality for the people of the West Midlands.”
The shortage of affordable homes in the region means that more and more people have had to turn to living in expensive, insecure private rented homes. This has left many facing impossible choices as they struggle to balance rent with other essential bills, or risk facing homelessness.
The widening gap between the demand for social housing and the availability of it is not an anomaly in our region. It is a result of decades of underfunding and underinvestment in affordable homes by successive governments. This has led to a chronic shortage of social housing and contributed to the housing crisis we’re in today.
Housing associations are ambitious to do more to tackle this crisis, but it will take a long-term commitment from local and national governments to address.
As the mayoral election in the West Midlands grows closer, access to affordable housing has become increasingly important among voters, with over half saying the government should prioritise building social housing, according to the NHF.
We’re joining the NHF’s call for political parties to commit to a long-term national plan to solve the housing crisis to support the thousands of households in the West Midlands in desperate need of a safe, suitable and affordable home.
The first round of the Citizen Local fund for 2024 has opened and you have the chance to apply for up to £3,000.
The fund is for projects and initiatives which promote and support wellbeing, reduce isolation and enhance local areas.
Customers living in our communities can apply for a slice of the £50,000 funding which is available throughout this year.
In our previous round we supported 11 organisations across the West Midlands.
Customer engagement partner Caroline Arrow said: “We’re thrilled to be accepting applications for the latest round of the Citizen Local Fund.
“At Citizen we want to work with our partners to make a positive difference to our customers and communities – and the Citizen Local Fund sees us work with organisations across the West Midlands to do this.
“The fund is there for a range of projects – big or small. We’re keen to support anyone or any group that needs some support to help others.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the applications submitted over the next few weeks.”
Applications for the second round of funding close at 5pm on Monday 13 May. Our Customer Assurance Committee will help us to shortlist the successful bids.
Find out more about the Citizen Local Fund on our Citizen Local Fund web page.
Watch our Citizen Local Fund animation below for further information:
Energy efficiency improvements in Coventry have reached a key milestone with work completed on 500 homes.
Last year we announced we were successful in wave two of the Government’s social housing decarbonisation fund alongside Coventry City Council to carry out energy efficiency works to 2,000 homes across the city.
We worked with the council to submit a bid to the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and were successful in receiving a £23.8m grant and we’re also funding a further £44m to create a £67.6m investment. The money is being spent on energy efficiency improvement works to bring the homes up to an energy rating of a C.
Carbon emissions from domestic properties are the biggest contributors to the city’s carbon footprint (30 per cent of total) so investment to make homes more energy efficient not only reduces energy bills but helps to reduce emission too.
Arthur Beale is one of our customers who has had energy efficiency works completed. These include external wall insulation, fans in his kitchen and bathroom for ventilation and loft insulation – and said he can feel the benefit of the works.
Arthur said: “I am very happy with the work – my house is much warmer now it’s been done.
“Before I had the work done the walls in my house felt cold but now they are warm to touch and you can really feel it when the heating is on. I don’t have to put the heating on as much as I did before the works which is a bonus and the work on the outside of the home makes it look much better too.
“I would definitely recommend these works to other people living in the city.”
Once the energy efficiency works are completed, they reduce the potential for mould growth and reduce the amount of energy the property consumes to keep it a comfortable temperature.
Our chief operating officer Mads Nelson said: “It’s fantastic that we have reached this milestone and completed energy efficiency works on 500 homes and are so pleased to hear the positive feedback from Arthur.
“At Citizen we are committed to working with our partners to make a positive difference to our customers and create better quality homes – and this project has made a huge difference to our customers with an average saving of £250 in fuel once the works are complete.
“We are continuing to work with Coventry City Council, DESNZ and our contractors to deliver warm and energy efficient homes to our customers living across Coventry. We’re looking forward to continuing with the project and completing the remaining homes over the next couple of years.”
As part of the project, we also worked with contractors and Coventry College to train the next generation of retrofitters and help them secure employment. The students complete a bootcamp at the college, following which they are interviewed by employer partners and, if successful, can join a training academy and potentially secure full-time employment.
Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities at Coventry City Council, Cllr David Welsh, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to see the progress of the work to create a better standard of homes for people, especially as it means savings on energy bills for tenants.
“As a council we have seen more and more organisations like Citizen work with us in partnership, playing a major part in improving lives for people. There is lots more to do -when you consider the desperate housing need in the city, but this is an excellent scheme. I hope we can find ways to expand the work to more homes in the future.”
To support the implementation of the programme, we commissioned director of GJK Consultants Gareth Keith. Gareth said: “It is great to recognise the significant milestone of 500 properties completed and we are delighted to provide project management services to Citizen’s decarbonisation team on this complex retrofit programme.
“The investment will eventually see over 2,000 properties benefit from new energy efficient measures installed in their homes, making households feel warmer and ideally improving their health and wellbeing. It is great to collaborate with Coventry City Council, Citizen, Coventry College, GJK consultants, contractors, and suppliers in this ambitious project which will have such an impact to so many people in Coventry.”
Environmental sustainability is important to us. The scale of our operations means that our impact and the influence we have on the environment is significant and we’re committed to becoming an environmentally responsible business.
To understand how Citizen’s environmental performance compares to other social housing providers we engaged SHIFT environment, a specialist in sustainability in the social housing sector, to carry out an environmental assessment. SHIFT environment operates an accreditation scheme which rates an organisation’s environmental performance as either bronze, silver, gold, or platinum.
The SHIFT environmental assessment took place from September to November 2023 and looked at a wide number of business areas which included:
● Existing properties
● New build standards
● Leadership and strategy
● Facilities
● Supply chain
The assessment benchmarked our environmental performance against a host of other social housing providers and provides recommendations on how we can improve.
We are proud to share that SHIFT awarded Citizen a silver rating which recognises our ongoing commitment to sustainability. Over the coming months we will be working hard to implement a number of improvements in the hope of achieving a gold rating for our next SHIFT assessment taking place during summer this year.
We’re partnering with several organisations to help train the next generation of retrofitters as part of our social housing decarbonisation project.
To mark Careers Week, which runs from 4 March to 9 March, we’re highlighting our work with Dyson Energy Services and Coventry College to reskill local people in Coventry and employ them so they can retrofit our homes.
We were successful in wave two of the Government’s social housing decarbonisation fund to improve 2,000 homes across Coventry.
The training by Coventry College is delivered through Insulation Bootcamps which cover a range of insulation measures including cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, and external wall insulation.
On completion of the training, candidates are interviewed and offered employment with Dyson Energy Services. They then work on our homes across Coventry.
Since the scheme has been launched over 50 people have been trained. Many of the students were unemployed and recruited from referral networks across the West Midlands including the National Careers Service, Job Centre Plus and Coventry Job Shop.
Two of the people who are working as insulation technicians for Dyson on our properties in Coventry are Daniel Falcnoer, 21, and Adam Breagan, 29.
Daniel (above), from Coventry, has been unemployed since he was 16 and said he’s proud of what he’s achieved.
He said: “If it wasn’t for the Insulation Skills Bootcamp, I would never have known about the energy efficiency industry and the career opportunities. I’m proud to be helping to improve the energy efficiency of homes in local communities I have grown up in and helping people to lower their energy bills.”
Adam said he remembered how cold the flat was he shared with his grandma, and he feels good helping those who are vulnerable.
Adam added: “Attending the Insulation Bootcamp and joining Dyson Energy Services has been career changing for me. Being able to help communities very similar to the ones I was raised in has such a rewarding feeling – that feeling of making a difference.
“The bootcamp was a good way of showing people there is an avenue into the industry. I had no skills and qualifications in this area prior to going to Coventry College, but now through training at Dyson Energy Services, am thrilled to have recently successfully passed my NVQ Diploma in Insulation and Building Treatments in Construction.”
The energy efficiency works being completed by people including Adam and Daniel, will support our customers to reduce their energy consumption and bills. It will also help them stay warm and comfortable in their homes.
Our director of asset management Bridget Guilfoyle said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Coventry College, Dyson Energy Services and Coventry City Council to help train the next generation of people who will be retrofitting our homes.
“It’s fantastic to hear from Adam and Daniel about how much the training has benefitted them. At Citizen we work with our partners to make a positive difference to our customers and communities and this partnership has helped to train the next generation of retrofitters. We are delighted to be part of a project which supports people to learn skills in retrofitting on the job.
“We’re also really proud that we were successful with Coventry City Council in our bid for wave two of the social housing decarbonisation fund which helps us deliver more energy efficient homes for our customers.”
By undertaking the social housing decarbonisation project, we aim to help to reduce fuel poverty and domestic carbon emissions, which currently account for 30 percent of the city’s total emissions.
Vice Principal for business growth, engagement and partnerships at Coventry College, Gemma Knott, said: “We’re delighted to have worked with key stakeholders in the city to provide training opportunities that help bridge the national and regional skills gaps, raise awareness of careers in green skills and provide employment opportunities for our local residents.
“The fact that our learners, and the work they are now doing, is making an impact their own community – helping people to reduce their energy bills during the cost-of-living crisis is just remarkable.
“We’re looking forward to the future opportunities this collaborative approach will bring for our community, employers and residents.
“The bootcamps offer excellent routes to employment and truly make a positive impact to our community.”
Ian Morrall, managing director at Dyson Energy Services said he recognises and appreciates the importance of partnerships like this.
He said: “As a business, we’ve always played our part in helping to educate potential new employees to understand the opportunities that lay ahead, as well as the important part they can play in helping to reduce the domestic carbon emissions. Thus, leading towards the government’s overall target to net zero by 2050.
“We’re delighted with the progress Daniel and Adam have made with Dyson Energy Services and look forward to seeing their future careers develop.
“In addition to this, we’re looking forward to welcoming more recruits in the near future.”
Cllr Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change, at Coventry City Council, added: “It’s vital that we look at every opportunity to help people develop new green skills and this is an ideal scheme especially as the need to retrofit and design more sustainable homes will grow and grow.
“As a city we are taking all the right steps to lead on the green industrial revolution and this partnership between Coventry College, Citizen and Dyson is really positive. I’m delighted that local students are benefiting.”
The bootcamps being run by Coventry College are designed for those employed in the construction sector and are looking to upskill. They are also suitable for people in the West Midlands who are unemployed and looking for a career in green skills.
You can find out more and apply for the bootcamp here.
We’ve helped 11 community groups across the West Midlands through the Citizen Local Fund – including Benshow Housing in Smethwick.
The fund supports our customers and communities to thrive with grants of up to £3,000 available – in particular, we support projects which improve wellbeing, reduce social isolation, enhance local areas and bring communities together.
Benshow Housing used the money to hire a space and instructor to run African ladies’ dance fitness clubs for the over 55s in the Smethwick area.
The charity, which helps people who have found themselves homeless, wanted to provide women from the Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community with an exercise class as it was found they couldn’t afford it or lacked motivation to join.
Kashindan who attended the sessions said: “I had a problem with my hip but since I have attended the sessions, I feel more comfortable. I also feel I have the courage to attend more classes and would attend these again if more happen as I have made new connections in the community.”
People from Smethwick and Sandwell attended the classes which were held at the Drum in Aston.
Chairman of Benshow Housing, Bernard Ntivunwa, said the group held seven sessions with the funding.
He said: “We applied to help African ladies in the area after we carried out research which showed that women aged between 50 and 75 in the area were very inactive and this was having an impact on their health. They also said they couldn’t afford recreational activity but if we were able to organise dance classes, then it would benefit them.
“We are very grateful to the Citizen Local Fund so we could arrange the sessions. The classes were African Zumba and the participants were able to suggest their favourite songs and if it was adaptable to the dance style then they could dance to their favourite tunes.
“We had a lot of positive feedback from the participants, particularly with mental health. Some of our participants said they used to be lonely and it helped them create connections with the community.
“We love to see our community getting along and being active. The people who attended the sessions are the ones who use our services. We provide support for refugees, asylum seekers and pensioners who are from the BAME community.”
Benshow Housing are hoping they will be able to host more sessions in future.
Customer engagement partner at Citizen Caroline Arrow said: “We are thrilled to hear how useful the funding has been for Benshow Housing and the ladies who attended the classes.
“At Citizen we want to work with our partners to make a difference to our customers and communities and the Citizen Local Fund does this.
“We love the feedback from Benshow Housing about the dance classes and the experience the community has had by making new connections at the classes and improving their wellbeing.
“Congratulations to everyone who has been successful in the latest round of the Citizen Local Fund, we’re looking forward to seeing the impact the funding makes.”
The other winners in the latest round of the Citizen Local Fund are:
BNH Forum, Birmingham – they will be using the money to refurbish the allotment pavilion at the Livingstone Allotments site. The pavilion will be used by the community for a lunch club and other uses such as craft and Pilates classes.
Coventry Rambling Club – the funding will help put on walks throughout the year for people who feel isolated or lonely.
FishFry, Birmingham – funding will help with a digital literacy initiative for older people. Fish Fry is a food van which provides Caribbean food and is helping older people develop online skills to order food online and pay bills.
Ludic Rooms, Coventry – The group will offer a workshop programme that provides informal skills development in communication technologies such as message forums and video chats so residents can connect with each other in William Batchelor House which is a retirement living scheme.
Mercia MS Therapy Centre, Coventry – the money will be spent on the project to help the wellbeing of people in the disabled community who have MS. The project will include arts and crafts classes.
Guardian Ballers, Coventry – the group will host a big event to engage local residents and young people on the Manor Farm estate. It will include basketball activities, wellbeing conversations and an opportunity to litter pick.
Spon Gate Community Church, Coventry – funding will help pay for professional help to clean and renovate a new building which they are relocating their hub to. The church provides activities including youth clubs, mental health drop-in sessions and free student study sessions.
St Luke’s, Birmingham – the community group will use the money to provide “bags of kindness” which included a hot water bottle, gloves and toiletries and toys for children. They also held a lunch and craft event.
The Noteables, Coventry – the group will use funding to develop the popular outreach sessions to day care centres, local schools, children’s respite centres, and homes for the elderly where community musicians lead music sessions and support people to take part in live music performances where they can sing, dance, play a musical instrument and enjoy the entertainment.
Warwick Scout Group – money will be used to restock and expand the group’s camping equipment by buying five tents so more young people can experience camping and outdoor activities.
The next round of the Citizen Local Fund will open in April.
We use cookies on this website. Cookies store information that allow us to improve our website and your browsing experience. By clicking agree or continuing to use our site you consent to our use of cookies. Data is transferred outside of the EEA for which we require your consent below. To find out more about cookies click here, or view our privacy policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.
Where personal data is transferred outside of the EEA, we require your explicit consent, that is provided by you sliding the control to the green/on position
Analytics cookies
We'd like to set Google Analytics cookies to help us improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone. For more information on how these cookies work please see our 'Cookies page'.
