A number of developing housing associations are understood to be considering building housing for sale through joint ventures with private firm Countryside Properties.
Countryside, which last year built 1050 social houses, has had discussions with several housing associations about pooling resources to develop private housing.

No specific agreements have been reached as yet, but the developments are expected to take place in London.

Michael Hill, business development director at Countryside, said that housing associations now accept that mixed-tenure developments are more likely to be successful over time, and it is in their interest to become more heavily involved in the housing-for-sale sector.

He added: "Housing associations looking to get involved in housing for sale could do so on their own, but they might consider it an advantage to do so in conjunction with an established partner.

"Through joint ventures, housing associations can share expertise with housebuilders and there is a much lower risk than if they were doing things by themselves."

Hill declined to reveal which associations were involved in the talks.

The news follows calls by Lord Best, director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, for housing associations to take the lead in new-build housing (HT 21 November, page 11).

Best has said in the past that associations, rather than developers, are best placed to create sustainable communities and that "new organisations" might be needed to make their involvement in housebuilding easier.

Source

Housing Today