Customer First in Practice: The Next Stage of Raven's Long-Term Regeneration
28 May 2025
This isn’t about parachuting in with polished masterplans. It’s about getting into the detail of how people live, what they value, and what they want to see change.
I’m reflecting on how far we have come on our Preston Area journey as part of PlaceShaping In Action. It feels like we have reached a momentous milestone after years of work (and still years to go!). In April we secured approval for a significant budget to take the project forward to the next stage. A huge commitment and vote of confidence for the project from our Board. They have visited the area, discussed and debated the challenge ahead of us in progressing this project, but also the challenge we leave ourselves if we don’t take, or delay investment. This all felt very real when 20 of us gathered in person (pictured above), a rare occurrence these days, to kick off the next stage. Part of the session was sharing opportunities and challenges we see with the next steps. It felt powerful. I felt the commitment from everyone in the room and was comforted to hear so much about the customer and community impact. In this session I knew we’d selected the right people to work with us. So, now we are moving to the next stage - one that puts our commitment to Customer First into action more deeply than ever before.
Like many in our sector, at Raven we are committed to delivering not just homes, but communities, places and spaces that genuinely improve the lives of the people who live there. And as we enter the next stage of this project, our plans and ambitions to provide homes that are fit for the future, in a neighbourhood that people feel proud to call home; neighbourhoods that are safe, secure and clean, will start to take shape.
Having completed our initial fact finding stage, we are now embarking on stage 2 a critical, and exciting phase of our project. We’ll be working with a team of specialist consultants across architecture, landscape design, parking, communications, and placemaking. Their brief is clear: engage with residents, listen first, and shape the vision around what matters to the people who live there.
This isn’t about parachuting in with polished masterplans. It’s about getting into the detail of how people live, what they value, and what they want to see change. It’s also about being honest and realistic - one of our key principles is to avoid overpromising. We’re setting out to be transparent about both opportunities and constraints, building trust as we go. It will be a real failure for me if we have to walk back on comments/ promises made early on. At Raven the trust our communities have in us drives our work and behaviours, this project should enhance that, even when conversations can feel challenging.
What’s been especially encouraging is the strength of partnership forming around the project. We’ve established a strategic board with Reigate & Banstead Borough Council and Surrey County Council, and we’re in discussions with Homes England. There’s a growing recognition that this isn’t just about regeneration - it’s an opportunity to explore how sustainable, inclusive, customer-led transformation can be delivered at scale. I am optimistic that Devolution/ Local Government Reorganisation has the power to only enhance this at a local level.
We’re looking closely at funding routes for the wider placemaking elements of the programme - investing in green space, health and well-being improvements, and local amenities. These are the things that make the difference between simply building homes and creating communities. We can do so much more when we work with others.
Of course, there are challenges ahead. Some residents will be more impacted than others, and managing that change fairly, compassionately, and openly is something we take seriously. But we believe there’s a real opportunity here to do something exemplar - to model what it looks like when local place-shaping is led by those who live there, supported by those with the expertise to help bring ideas to life.
We’ve always said we want this to be held up as best practice, and that means being willing to share the learning - not just when it goes perfectly, but as we navigate through complexity too.
We’ll keep you updated as we go on this redevelopment journey.