A landmark year of growth, delivery and impact
2025/26 has been a defining year for our Development and Sales teams — a year of scaling up, strengthening partnerships and delivering high quality homes and places that people are proud to live in. From accelerating our build programme to achieving national recognition, the numbers tell a story of ambition matched with delivery.
Building more homes for our communities
We’ve seen a step-change in our development output this year, with:
- 343 new homes started on site, including 167 shared ownership, 131 affordable rent and 45 social rented homes.
- 52 completions, including: 13 for affordable rent and 39 for shared ownership
- A further 101 homes received planning approval across two sites. This represents a fourfold increase in start-on-site activity — rising from 74 in 2024/25 to 343 in 2025/26.
It’s a clear signal of our commitment to tackling the housing shortage and investing in the long-term future of our communities.
We also strengthened our financial position through successful grant bids, securing:
- £2.55m in additional bridge funding from Homes England
- £4.18m in Local Authority funding to support two schemes.
A strong year for sales
Our sales programme has continued to perform exceptionally well, generating vital income to reinvest into new and existing homes.
- 106 homes sold, meeting off plan sales targets and generating £12.8 million in revenue
- Trustpilot score of 4.75 (sales responses only)
- Abbey Barn Park, High Wycombe: Over 95% reserved or sold off-plan, with 85% occupied within eight weeks of handover
- Weavers Gate, Codicote: 95% sold off-plan
- Parkside: Only one home remaining
- New partnership with MySafeHome, improving access to mortgages for disabled homeowners
- 88% of customers satisfied with their new home.
These results reflect both the quality of our homes and the strength of our customer experience.
Award-winning developments
Our work has been recognised nationally:
- Winner, Inside Housing Development Awards (November 2025) – Parkside, Watford: Shared Ownership Development (Urban)
- Highly Commended, First Time Buyer Reader Awards (September 2025)
These accolades highlight our commitment to design quality, placemaking and delivering genuinely affordable routes into home ownership.
Key development milestones
This year we also reached several major programme milestones:
- Partnership announced with Berkeley Homes in April to deliver affordable homes at Abbey Barn Park, High Wycombe
- Planning permission granted for 41 homes at the Leighton Buzzard Garden Centre site in July 2026.
- Landmark deal for 186 homes in Borehamwood (September 2025), with start on site in December 2025, increasing the number of affordable homes from 80% to 100%.
- Grove Court reached topping out in December 2025
- Jackson Road: 26 affordable rent homes starting on site in February 2026
- Full planning permission secured for 60 homes in Winslow - March 2026
These milestones strengthen our pipeline and ensure a steady flow of new homes in the years ahead.
Investing in our communities
Our commitment goes beyond bricks and mortar. This year, £1,500 was awarded to three local projects, supporting the vital work they do for local residents:
- The Croxley Revels
- Malvern Way Nursery and Infant School – refurbishing play trail equipment
- HomeStart – supporting families with children under five
Excellence in governance
The Development team achieved substantial assurance for the second consecutive year, with no recommendations from independant audit. This reflects the strong governance, controls and professional standards embedded across the programme.
Looking ahead
This has been a year defined by growth, quality and impact. With a strengthened pipeline, award-winning developments and a clear commitment to delivering more affordable homes, we are well positioned for another year of progress - and ready to build on this momentum as we prepare to merge with Watford Community Housing.