Great Places Housing Group

Great Places Housing Group
Name	Great Places Housing Group
Type	Housing association
Industry	Housing
Founded	2006
Headquarters	Manchester, England
Area served	North West England, Yorkshire
Key people	Martin Kearsley (Chief Executive)

Great Places Housing Group is a housing association headquartered in Manchester that manages affordable housing across the North West England and parts of Yorkshire. It operates as a registered provider of social and affordable rented homes, as well as shared ownership and supported housing, and engages in large-scale development, regeneration, and community initiatives. The organisation works with local authorities, housing regulators, funders, and charitable bodies to deliver housing and support services.

History

Great Places traces its roots to the merger of predecessor providers and housing trusts active in Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, and Salford during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The group emerged amid sector consolidation following policy changes under the Housing Act 2004 and the wider reorganisation of social housing provision after the Tory government and subsequent Labour housing strategies. Its growth included asset transfers from local authority stock in initiatives mirrored in regions such as Liverpool and Manchester and later strategic amalgamations similar to those undertaken by organisations like Clarion Housing Group and Peabody Trust. Throughout the 2010s and 2020s, Great Places expanded via development programmes influenced by national agendas such as the Affordable Homes Programme and funding models seen in partnerships with institutions like the Homes and Communities Agency and Homes England.

Governance and Structure

The group is governed by a board of non-executive and executive directors, reflecting regulatory frameworks set by the Regulator of Social Housing and corporate governance norms exemplified by the Companies Act 2006. Its management team interfaces with regional local authorities such as Trafford Council, Salford City Council, Bury Council, and Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council to align housing delivery with local strategic plans. Great Places’ governance has involved scrutiny from ombudsmen and regulators in ways comparable to other registered providers including L&Q (housing association) and Sovereign Housing Association. Strategic oversight includes risk management, asset management, and compliance with standards set out following incidents that shaped sector regulation like inquiries into landlord standards in the United Kingdom.

Housing and Services

Great Places provides diverse tenure types, including social rent, affordable rent, intermediate tenures such as shared ownership, and supported housing for vulnerable groups including older people, people with disabilities, and those experiencing homelessness. Its neighbourhood management practices draw on models used by organisations such as Shelter and St Mungo's for homelessness pathways and support. The group commissions repairs and maintenance works through supply chains involving contractors operating in the construction sector and works with training providers and employment agencies to link tenants with opportunities from initiatives like the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and local jobcentres such as Jobcentre Plus.

Development and Regeneration Projects

Great Places has been involved in regeneration schemes in urban centres and suburban estates, working on brownfield redevelopment, retrofit programmes, and mixed-tenure schemes comparable to projects delivered by Regeneration Investment Organisation partners and local inward investment initiatives. The group’s development pipeline mirrors schemes promoted under the Northern Powerhouse agenda and has engaged with regional enterprise partnerships like the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Sheffield City Region. Projects have included new-build affordable homes, estate renewal programmes, and energy-efficiency retrofits informed by targets set in national initiatives such as the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and decarbonisation strategies promoted by agencies including National Grid and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Finance and Funding

Funding for Great Places has come from a mix of grant funding, debt finance, bond markets and private investment, reflecting funding approaches seen across the housing association sector including issuances in capital markets used by peers such as Peabody and Notting Hill Genesis. The group manages treasury operations to balance investment in development with regulatory capital requirements and engages with lenders including commercial banks and institutional investors similar to those participating in the UK infrastructure pipeline. It has accessed grant allocations administered by Homes England and leveraged social housing investment from philanthropic and impact investors reflective of trends involving organisations like the Big Society Capital initiative.

Partnerships and Community Engagement

Great Places delivers community programmes and tenant engagement through partnerships with voluntary sector organisations such as Age UK, Citizens Advice, and local community anchors. It collaborates with health systems including NHS England Integrated Care Boards to develop housing-related health interventions and works with education providers including local colleges and universities such as University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University on skills and apprenticeship pathways. The group engages in lobbying and sector advocacy alongside representative bodies like the National Housing Federation and liaises with parliamentary stakeholders in Westminster and devolved institutions including the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to influence housing policy and local strategic investment.

Category:Housing associations based in England Category:Organisations based in Manchester