Welsh housing associations appoint three executive directors to lead new entity as merger plans progress

Peter Crockett will become group executive director for growth at the new combined entity. Previously deputy chief executive at Melin, he will also continue in his role as managing director of Melin’s developer subsidiary Candleston Homes.

With the group executive leadership confirmed, Melin and Newport City Homes “can pick up the pace with the merger”, Melin said.

Once finalised, the merger will create a 15,000-home association.

The landlord added that Sonia Furzland, current executive director of operations at Newport City Homes, Matthew Davies, executive director of development, and Adrian Huckin, executive director for innovation, culture and improvement at Melin, will continue to work with them between now and April 2025.

“We thank them all for their contributions so far and are looking forward to continuing working with them through the next important stages,” it said.

Paula Kennedy, chief executive of Melin, is set to lead the new housing association. Ceri Doyle, chief executive of Newport City Homes, said she had not applied for the role “for a combination of personal and professional reasons”.

In a statement given when the merger was announced late last year, Melin and Newport City Homes said the combined entity “will have greater financial capacity and resilience” and “an annual development programme of 500 sustainable homes”.

A number of mergers has been announced in the Welsh social housing sector, including Pobl and Linc Cymru, and Coastal Housing Group and RHA Wales.

Pobl and Linc Cymru formally came together in April to create a new expanded landlord that will manage more than 23,000 homes in Wales.

Coastal and RHA are still in talks to become a new 10,000-home association.