Commitment and creativity at Connexus
14 January 2025
The fact they are developing the site rather than selling the homes is a testament to their commitment to place-shaping.
I set off for my visit to Connexus with some trepidation. After days of snowy weather and trouble on the trains, attempting a journey from Worthing to South Shropshire involving four changes seemed at best optimistic. But happily the trains did not let me down and I arrived (almost) on time to meet Kate Smith, the Connexus Chief Executive, to hear more about their challenges and plans.
Connexus has homes across a broad sweep of Shropshire and Herefordshire, in the heart of Hereford City as well as small villages and market towns, in an area that is predominantly rural, farming country.
Kate, and her colleague Amanda Knowles, the Head of Development, gave me a whistlestop tour of some of their new and existing homes, and explained some of the challenges and opportunities of working in a rural area along the way.
While Connexus have ambitions to build 200 homes a year, what they build and where they build it is as important to them as the numbers. However, building new homes in rural areas takes longer and is more expensive than building homes in some of the more urban areas where Connexus operates. A constant dilemma for Kate and the board I imagine.
Their plans to replace two homes on a site in Diddlebury, a village near the Connexus office in Craven Arms, with four new homes for local families will make a real difference to that village. The fact they are developing the site rather than selling the homes is a testament to their commitment to place-shaping.
My concern, which I know Kate shares, is that in the rush to meet the government’s target of building 1.5 million homes over this parliament, is that we end up with a system that makes it even harder to build and redevelop homes in villages like Diddlebury.
Connexus have built some beautiful social housing recently, including for older people and for shared ownership, but it strikes me that this is largely due to the commitment and creativity of the team.
Homes being renovated at Ludlow
We also went to see some homes in the heart of Ludlow that Connexus are extensively renovating. The homes are getting a complete overhaul, inside and out, making them more energy efficient, addressing problems with damp and mould, and generally making them great places to live. The first houses are now finished and residents are moving back in to what must feel like a new home.
The train journey to Craven Arms from Shrewsbury was lovely, with great views of the snowy Shropshire Hills, and every place Kate and Amanda took me to came with a fabulous view. It is easy to see why people want to live in the towns and villages of Shropshire and Herefordshire, but without more good quality affordable housing, including for young families, over the long-term areas like these will struggle.
The need that Connexus and other rural providers are trying to meet, and the challenges they face in doing so, are unique and different to many other housing associations. That is why we believe that any housing system should start from the perspective of place and acknowledge the contribution of housing associations beyond the number of homes they can build. We are exploring this further through some work we’ve recently commissioned and will be looking to make a series of recommendations aimed at influencing the government in advance of this year’s Spending Review.
There was so much to reflect on after my day with Connexus, but making my way home on cold and late trains soon knocked the smug feeling of the morning’s journey out of me!