Modular homes have been craned into place in Coventry as part of our extended modular pilot.
The scheme will see 24 homes built on eight garage sites across the city.
We’re working with Modpods International and Coventry City Council to deliver the development. Ten of the homes have been installed at Wedon Close and these are the last homes of the pilot to be craned into place.
The homes which are being built by ModPods International at their factory in Stoneleigh will be a mix of bungalows and family houses. The remaining 16 have been installed at: Bradney Green, Coleman Street, Fletchamstead Highway, Attoxhall Road, Capmartin Road, Shepherd Close and Thimbler Road.
Watch our video below:
Our director of development Richard Whittaker said: “Our modular homes have been craned into place at Wedon Close and it’s great to see them finished after watching them being built in the factory.
“We’re really pleased to have installed several homes on this single ex-garage site. There are so many benefits to modular homes. These will be A rated meaning higher energy efficiency and lower energy bills compared to a traditional home.
“At Citizen we have an ambitious development programme to meet the ever-increasing need for homes in the region, and we have a particular focus on building quality and affordable homes. We’re looking forward to welcoming our customers into the homes at Wedon Close when they have been completed.”
Once the homes have been craned into place they are then connected to the services.
The homes at the development are all affordable meaning they will help those who are currently waiting on the housing list.
Managing Director at ModPods International Andy Cornaby said: “It’s great to be working with Citizen on this scheme to provide homes for people across Coventry.
“ModPods International offers comfortable and affordable homes at two thirds of the cost of traditionally built homes. They are built with robust steel frame structures, are insulated and compliant to meet building and fire regulations.
“We’re looking forward to finishing the site at Wedon so the Citizen customers can move in.”
Councillor David Welsh, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, added: “We are providing more homes that are much needed in Coventry and it’s good to see 24 homes across garage sites in Coventry.
“We need larger family homes and homes for older people to downsize into. There is a massive need in Coventry. These modular buildings are among the most energy efficient in the country and leave very little waste in their manufacture. It means that when tenants move in their energy bills will be lower too.
“Modular homes are one approach and is an efficient way of bringing brownfield sites back into use.”
The homes will be finished and ready for customers to move in during early autumn.
A former glassworks and builder’s merchants will be transformed into 30 affordable homes thanks to a £5.9m development.
We’re working with Liberty Developments, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Homes England to build the housing at the former Wood & Moore Builders Merchants in Wallows Road, Brierley Hill, which was also previously used as a glassworks.
The new homes will be built using Modern Methods of Construction and the latest low carbon technology.
Liberty developments will construct the properties and more than 25 percent of them will meet the WMCA AMC Zero Carbon home requirement using advanced methods of construction. These will feature low carbon components produced off-site in a factory and will adhere to strict criteria to meet the zero-carbon target.
The new homes will also be super energy efficient making them much cheaper for our customers to heat and power.
Our executive director of development Nick Byrne said: “We are pleased to be working with the WMCA, Liberty Developments and Homes England on Wallows Road in Brierley Hill to build 30 affordable homes.
“At Citizen we have an ambitious development programme to meet the ever-increasing need for homes in the region. We are looking forward to work starting at Wallows Road as part of this £5.9m investment to regenerate the two-acre brownfield site and help bring more affordable housing to the Dudley area.
“Modern Methods of Construction are going to be used at the site for some of the homes with panels and sections of the properties being made in a factory. This has great benefits including reducing the environmental impact as the parts will be built at a quicker pace. We’re looking forward to work getting underway.”
The investment at the site also includes £1.5m funding from Homes England.
Alan Yates OBE, chairman of Liberty Developments, said: “This is a challenging site, but we were keen to deliver a high-quality development incorporating offsite construction methods and low carbon technologies.
“The funding has enabled us to unlock this site and the fact that the WMCA is supporting new, regional housing developers such as Liberty Developments shows their genuine commitment to delivering its Plan for Growth with a range of partners.”
Last summer Plan for Growth was launched. It is a roadmap to help level up the West Midlands, drive future prosperity and recapture its pre-Covid position as the fastest growing region outside London.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA chair, said: “This development is a perfect example of the type of forward-looking housing scheme we want to see replicated across our region.
“Not only is it breathing new life into a brownfield site, helping to protect our precious green belt, it is also using advanced methods of construction. This supports the new, low carbon industries of the future now springing up across the West Midlands, creating well paid jobs for local people.
“But most importantly of all, these brownfield housing schemes are helping to keep us on track in achieving our target of building 215,000 new homes by 2031. This is crucial if we are to tackle the housing shortage that is driving up prices to such an extent that many people are struggling to afford to buy or rent a good quality home.”
The Wallows Road homes are the latest homes to be built as a direct result of a ‘brownfield first’ approach by the WMCA to invest tens of millions of pounds throughout the pandemic to unlock derelict industrial sites for new housing and commercial premises.
This week is Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) awareness week which highlights the impact ASB has on people as well as how it can be addressed.
At Citizen we know that experiencing ASB can be worrying and unsettling which is why we’re committed to doing everything we can to act and are encouraging everyone to report it.
In the last year across all our areas, noise nuisance was the biggest ASB complaint we received.
We also visited our customers 9,672 times in relation to ASB and have had success with:
Serving 50 notices seeking possession
Secured 24 injunctions
Achieved 44 possession orders
Teamwork with the police and other agencies is a huge part of tackling ASB. Through our partnerships we have recently secured closure orders against a house in Jardine Crescent, Coventry, which was believed to be occupied by drug dealers. Orders were also secured against homes in Pioneer House and Thomas King House which had been reported to the police over anti-social behaviour and cuckooing (where vulnerable people are exploited by criminals – usually drug dealers – so they can use their homes).
In particular our Coventry concierge team and neighbourhood officer Tracy Hill worked with police to gather a substantial amount of evidence so ASB closure orders in Faulkner House could be granted.
These orders are in place to reduce the annoyance for customers living at Faulkner House who are experiencing high volumes of non-resident access, drug use and drug dealing. Our safer neighbourhoods officer Rachel Slater is also pursuing possession of one of the properties following a breach of the original order.
In nearby Hillfields we have been tackling ASB by working with the police and to recognise our partnership work, concierge team leader Richard Perry, neighbourhood officer Tracey Donoghue, safer neighbourhoods officer Rachel Slater, neighbourhood manager Kelly Lewis and the concierge team have been nominated for a West Midlands Police Excellence Award.
The nomination recognises the work they have carried out to give police information and intelligence to target individuals.
Head of Neighbourhood Services at Citizen, Pauline McKenzie-Brown said: “Thank you to all of you at Citizen who have worked hard to tackle anti-social behaviour across our communities and congratulations to everyone who has been nominated for the West Midlands Police Excellence Award.
“At Citizen we are supporting Anti-social Behaviour Awareness Week and one of the keyways we tackle ASB is by working with our key partners including West Midlands Police.
“We are committed to strengthening these relationships to continue to deal with issues that impact our customers, and we will support them to resolve the issues in the neighbourhood.
“We think West Midlands Police for the action they have taken in recent months and we’re encouraging our residents who are suffering from anti-social behaviour to contact us and the police.”
Crimestopppers are also hosting an event on Friday 7 July for anyone in the community to attend and find out more. It’s taking place at The Lozells Methodist Centre – Community Centre (163 Jerard St, Lozells, Birmingham B19 2AH) from 2pm-5pm.
This week is Rural Housing Week which shines a light on the vital importance of housing associations in rural communities.
One of the focus areas this year is Hidden Homeless which highlights that homelessness in rural areas is often less visible and can be exacerbated by high housing costs.
At Citizen we are committed to providing safe and secure housing for those who have found themselves homeless and one of our schemes is White Cross Road in Hereford.
Over the last year we have housed 24 residents at Whitecross Road with a great track record of successful moves to permanent accommodation.
Whitecross Road is currently full and there is a growing waiting list of people who have found themselves homeless in Herefordshire.
Claire Gallagher* is one of the residents currently living at Whitecross Road and she said being there has had a big impact on her life.
She said: “Whitecross hub has changed my life. I came in here a homeless addict and I’m now clean and working towards getting my baby girl back.
“The support here has saved my life, literally, and the staff are absolutely amazing, especially my keyworker. Thank you, Whitecross Hub.”
Head of Housing Support Liz Carroll said homelessness is an issue in big cities, but it is also a real issue in rural areas too, so it is important resources are in place to help those who have found themselves homeless.
She said: “It’s important we highlight Rural Housing Week as, unlike bigger cities, Hereford has no direct access hostel accommodation other than severe weather emergency protocol winter provision, so supported housing schemes such as Whitecross hub are a vital housing resource. Rural homelessness is an increasing problem and with people sleeping in remote locations it is hard for housing services to know where they are and to offer support.
“It’s important we have schemes like Whitecross Road to provide safe and secure housing for those who find themselves homeless, with support available on site to help guide residents through whatever difficulties they may be experiencing.
“We then support the resident to move on to permanent housing when the time is right
“At Citizen we are committed to working with our partners in Hereford and across the West Midlands to make a difference to our customers and communities.”
Customers living in our Gateway and Frank Walsh House accommodation in Coventry have worked with artists to feature in an exhibition hosted at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire this summer.
The exhibition, called Lockdown Landscapes, highlights the effect the Covid 19 pandemic had on people around the UK as well as inspiring remembrance of those who have been lost.
A section of this exhibition is called Citizens of Coventry and it explores how people without housing were impacted by the pandemic.
Artist Sebbie Mudhai and videographer Tom Chimiak held sessions with residents based at the Gateway and Frank Walsh House. A poem and film were created, inspired by stories of our residents’ experiences during the pandemic.
One of our residents Steve Witten took part in the sessions. He said it was a good project to be involved with.
He said: “People came from the National Memorial Arboretum and asked us how we’d been affected by the Covid pandemic mentally, physically and spiritually. We spoke about our experiences verbally and did a little bit of writing, but it gave us all a sense of unity.
“It was very isolating during Covid. I was out of work at the time because I used to work on a building site and they had shut down, and initially it felt fearful going into lockdown.
“I enjoyed taking part in the sessions and it was good that the artists saw value in our input and our experiences are appreciated. The National Memorial Arboretum is quite famous and so I’m proud to be part of a project that is being shown there.”
This is the second event residents from Gateway have been involved in at the National Memorial Arboretum after they helped to create art for VE Day in 2020.
Our housing support manager at Gateway, Gail Cooper, said people living at the Gateway and Frank Walsh House had lots of different experiences to share about lockdown.
She said: “Sharing their experiences took some of our residents back in time. Some people had traumatic experiences which were too difficult to share but others felt it was cathartic to talk about what had happened to them.
“We all felt really emotional hearing their experiences and we were very proud of all the different voices who took part.
“Our residents helped inspire the poem and they have been filmed reading the lines out loud and we think this will be so impactful.”
Aaron Rossi, heritage project manager at the National Memorial Arboretum said: “The Lockdown Landscapes exhibition at the arboretum features four installations reflecting the experiences of diverse communities from across UK, focusing on those disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Citizens of Coventry is an incredibly moving component of the exhibition; through the mediums of poetry and film, it has captured how members of this community bonded during these difficult times, showing resilience and support for one another, even when faced with greater hardship because of the pandemic.”
The exhibition Lockdown Landscapes runs until October 1 at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. It is part of the Lockdown Landscapes initiative, a nationwide community engagement programme led by the National Memorial Arboretum in partnership with the National Forest Company, Sampad South Asian Arts and Heritage and Westminster Abbey, with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
We have been named in this year’s Biggest Builders list – an annual survey which is compiled by Inside Housing.
The survey ranks housing associations across the country by the number of completions in 2022/23 and this year we have been ranked in 27th place.
This is a rise of six places in comparison to last year’s survey.
In 2022/23 we completed 564 affordable homes and 66 for market sale. Of the 564 affordable homes, 227 were affordable rent, 172 were social rent and 165 were low-cost ownership homes.
Our Executive Director of Development Nick Byrne said: “It’s great news that we have appeared in this year’s Biggest Builders list again and it’s brilliant to have increased our ranking this time.
“The last year has been another unusual year for construction with many builders experiencing supply chain issues. We weren’t able to handover as many homes as we would have liked due to these supply chain issues, but we are proud to have completed 564 homes across the West Midlands.
“I’d like to thank the development team for all their hard work over the last year and as a West Midlands based housing association it’s great to be recognised alongside national builders who have also made the top 50.
“At Citizen we are committed to investing in our housing by building homes for those who need them as well as improving the places our customers already live.”
Pride Month is an opportunity for us to raise awareness around sexual diversity, to improve the attitudes of society, and to encourage inclusiveness.
June is the month chosen to celebrate Pride as it was the month of the Stonewall riots in 1969 – the protests that changed gay rights for a lot of people in America and beyond.
Pride month is a time for us to celebrate LGBTQ+ inclusion at work. We have made a video about why LGBTQ+ inclusion and Pride Month is important to us and our ambitions to create a safe and inclusive workforce. The video and other content will be promoted during the month and will be shared more widely as well – including across our social media channels.
But Pride Month is not just about the Pride Month flags, the LGBTQ+ Pride Month facts, or Pride Month resources, because LGBTQ+ inclusion takes place 365 days of the year. At Citizen, we are committed to equity and diversity. We want all our customers, staff, and board members to have equal chances to learn, work and live free from discrimination, harassment, and prejudice.
We want everyone to be themselves and we want everyone to feel safe and comfortable bringing their full selves to work.
Jerome Williams Equality and Inclusion Manager said, “LGBTQ+ Pride is all about people coming together in love and friendship, to show how far gay rights have come, even if in some places there is still work to be done.”
“Our new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy (due for publication later this year) will set our EDI direction for the next three years and will commit us to actions that will ensure we have a workforce that is representative of the communities we operate in, achieve equity in our workplace and our communities, celebrate difference and promote belonging. As part of the development of that strategy we will be asking our customers to contribute to ensure that its inclusive of your needs. We will keep you updated on progress and how you can share your views with us in the coming months.
“We want everyone to be themselves and we want everyone to feel safe and comfortable bringing their full selves to work.”
Nine community groups across the West Midlands will benefit from funding to improve wellbeing in our neighbourhoods.
The groups applied to our Citizen Local Fund – a pot of money available for projects running in our communities – and were given the opportunity to apply for up to £5,000.
The aim of the fund is to support our residents and communities to thrive. We support ideas and projects that promote mental and physical wellbeing, reduce social isolation, bring communities together and enhance local areas.
The projects which have been successful include:
Hillfields People Project Watch Centre – the funding will be used to expand their work of providing life-skills support, advice and guidance activities for young people and adults living in Hillfields
St Peter’s Centre, Hillfields – the money will help to buy a new cooker, fridge and freezer to help with the community lunch that is held there. There is an increase in demand for their service due to the cost of living
Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre – The centre plans to use the funding to create an animation which will address the myths and stereotypes that create a culture of rape as well as removing the stigma around talking about sexual violence and abuse
Wardon Community Lunch, Worcestershire – The money will help support a community lunch event where people from the local community prepare and eat a meal free of charge all under the guidance of a professional chef
Coventry House Project with Coventry City Council – The project supports young people aged 16 and 17 who are in care to move into their own flats and learn the life skills they need
Drought Resilient Allotment and Garden Plan, Worcester – money will be used to build a raised bed with water storage underneath for 1,000 litres of water to use during a drought
Shine a Light, Play Therapy for Children with Cancer, Coventry – this will help fund counselling support provided by counsellors and therapists for any child who is affected by any type of cancer. It will also support play therapy sessions with a qualified specialist.
Cyclemoor, Stoke Aldermoor – the club will use the money to help people in Stoke Aldermoor learn how to ride bikes, enjoy outdoor actives and improve their mental and physical wellbeing.
Skipton Lodge Breakfast and Lunch Clubs, Coventry – Funding will help to provide cooking equipment needed to host the clubs in the kitchen at Skipton Lodge
Sandra Tod is one of our customers who takes part in the Skipton Lodge Breakfast and Lunch club.
She helps to cook the food which residents enjoy.
She said: “I’m so pleased our group has been successful in the Citizen Local Fund. I enjoy cooking for those who live at Skipton Lodge and bringing people together.”
Our Customer Engagement Partner Verity Darbyshire said it’s great for us to be supporting people living in our communities.
She said: “It’s fantastic that all these nine groups have been successful in the Citizen Local Fund and that the money is helping people who are living in our communities across the West Midlands.
“At Citizen we want to work with our partners to make a difference to our customers and communities and the Citizen Local Fund does just that.
“We are thrilled to hear from Sandra that the money will be a huge help to those who take part in the club at Skipton Lodge.
“Congratulations to all the people who have received money through the Citizen Local Fund, we hope it helps achieve your goals.”
The next round of the Citizen Local Fund is currently open until the end of June and grants of up to £3,000 are available.
If you know someone who would benefit from the Citizen Local Fund, encourage them to visit our website and apply by filling in the form here.
Work has started to build 19 affordable homes on the site of a former garden centre in Birmingham.
We’ve partnered with Enrok Construction to build the homes on Wellington Road in Handsworth.
The project will see four one-bed apartments, 11 two-bed houses and four three-bed houses built on the former Hirons Garden centre which closed in 2022.
The new development will provide homes for up to 72 customers.
Our Development Project Manager Bleddyn Lloyd said: “It’s brilliant to see that work has started to build these affordable homes in Handsworth.
“All of the homes being built on the site are affordable which means it will help with the demand for affordable housing in the area and help those who are currently waiting on the housing lists.
“We are pleased to be working with Enrok Construction on this development and we’re looking forward to seeing the homes being completed over the next few months.”
This is the first project we’ve worked on with Enrok Construction who are based in Derby.
Jordan Mallisch, Managing Director of Enrok Construction said: “There is an urgent need for affordable housing across the West Midlands, so we are excited to be underway on our first project with Citizen and to be delivering great homes for local people.
“I hope this is the start of a great partnership together and I am looking forward to seeing the scheme develop over the next 12 months.”
The site is due to be completed at the end of 2023.
We’ve signed a new partnership with Travis Perkins to improve our supply chain process for ordering materials and replenishing van stock.
The new contract came into effect on 1 April 2023 and will be in place for five years.
We already use Travis Perkins in Birmingham and Worcester so the change will affect Maintenance colleagues working in Coventry.
Our Head of Voids and Programme Works Matthew Lloyd said: “We’re changing our building supplier to streamline our services and help improve the supply of our building materials.
“Travis Perkins (TP) is the UK’s largest supplier of materials to the building and construction industry and has over 500 branches across the country, so they have a constant supply of products and materials available.
“The new location for operatives will be the Coventry North branch at Lockhurst Lane in Coventry and the products will be as good, if not better, than the type used previously. TP should also be able to provide our non-core products the next day.”
TP has partnered with all our exiting third-party suppliers so it is easy to call through orders and arrange for them to be collected from the relevant supplier.
In the summer a new app, called TP Go, will also be available so van operatives can order their van stock at the touch of a button.
The new contract means our customers will have a better experience.
Matthew added: “Through the use of Travis Perkins, customers should see an improvement in their experience. This includes fewer follow-on appointments due to improved stock availability.”
Travis Perkins Midlands Regional Director, Ian Blunt said: “The Travis Perkins Managed Services Team and I, are delighted to be working with Citizen.
“This is an exciting expansion of our existing, well established relationship in Birmingham and Worcester and by working with the Coventry team we’re looking forward to providing a market leading service to operatives and making a real difference to the local community.
“Citizen tradespeople will benefit from the dedicated extension to the Travis Perkins Coventry branch, providing access to an extended range of products, access to our full supply chain and dedicated service from staff who will already be familiar faces.
“On that note, I’d also like to welcome Suzy, Paul, Oakley and Dean to the Travis Perkins family as an integral part of the initial and future success of this exciting partnership!”
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'.
