Horsham based housing association celebrates 20th anniversary

Saxon Weald turns 20 on December 20. In that time, the housing association has grown by over 2000 homes, carried out a quarter of a million repairs and invested more than £70 million in improving properties, the firm said.

Saxon Weald was originally set up to take over the ownership of Horsham District Council’s 4609 homes, a spokesman added. On transfer, Saxon Weald made four five-year promises: to invest in the quality of homes, to keep rents affordable, to listen to customers and to help provide new affordable homes.

Steven Dennis, chief executive, said: “I am really proud to say that we are still keeping to these promises all this time later.

“We have invested a huge amount of money in our homes, from the early days of replacing single-glazed windows and installing gas central heating where possible, to updating countless kitchens and bathrooms, and improving levels of insulation.

“Despite spending more than £70 million on our existing homes, we have also built 1700 new properties. This has made an invaluable contribution to the shortfall of affordable homes in our local area.”

Chairman Simon Turpitt added: “Looking back on our 20 years, there is so much to celebrate. Highlights for me include launching our in-house repairs service in 2009, building 11 extra care schemes including our flagship Highwood Mill development in 2017, and redeveloping over 300 outdated bedsits into appealing modern homes.

“My thanks go to all our staff and partners, past and present, who have contributed to our success.”

Saxon Weald employs 250 people, just over double the 120 it started with, the firm said. This includes a 90-strong team of repairs operatives and 29 scheme managers. Saxon Weald is a proud holder of the Investors in People gold accreditation.