Housing association announces record number of new homes in 2022-23

The association said its highlights included the opening of Grace House, a large-scale affordable apartment scheme for over-55s in St John’s Wood, and 770 homes across Devon, Hampshire, Sussex and Dorset.

The landlord also marked its most productive year so far in London, in part thanks to its merger with Central & Cecil Housing Trust, which was completed in January 2022. 

This year also included the transfer of a number of new homes to Wickham Community Land Trust (CLT). 

Aster also completed 13 schemes delivering 146 affordable homes to date under its CLT partnerships.

Amanda Williams, chief investment officer at Aster, said: “Rising costs in all walks of life mean the need for affordable homes is more desperate than ever. Our customers, both new and existing, need us to tackle this problem head-on.

“Being at the forefront of delivering new homes across a mix of tenures, including social and affordable rent and shared ownership, is a crucial aspect of achieving this. Our best-ever year is a great milestone, and we’ll have made a real difference to those needing an affordable option.”

Ms Williams praised her colleagues for reaching the milestone, and reiterated the landlord’s focus to maintain a “diverse pipeline of new affordable homes across our regions”.

Looking ahead, Aster has a secured pipeline of more than 4,000 homes, set to be delivered by the end of 2025. This includes building around 300 homes a year through its strategic partnership with Homes England, and a recent tie-up with Persimmon Homes will deliver 300 affordable homes in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.

Aster explained that it has a significant number of homes already in construction through its land-led programme, including a community-focused, 100% affordable development in Dorset.

In total, it plans to invest a further £2.65bn in 10,000 new homes over the next seven years.