Published by Blakes for more
than a quarter of a century
than a quarter of a century
Lovell
LOVELL LEADS IN HOUSING INNOVATION
Lovell is Britain's leading provider of affordable housing, operating from nine regional offices in England, Wales and Scotland. Working in partnership with housing associations and local authorities, the company specialises in refurbishment and mixed tenure developments operating at the cutting edge of urban regeneration to create truly sustainable communities.
Skilled in cost-modelling and cross-subsidy arrangements to fund community activities, buildings and affordable rented housing, Lovell is also committed to providing job and training opportunities through a range of imaginative training initiatives.
Homes for key workers - Lovell has the solution
At St Mary's Village in Hackney, London, a demand-led mixed tenure development by Lovell - the first of its kind - has transformed a run-down 1960s estate to provide affordable homes for key workers alongside open market housing and shared-ownership homes. Key workers have been able to get on to the property ladder through the company's own form of low-cost home ownership, 'Lovell Choice'.
Designed to provide affordable housing for council nominees, Choice has been successfully used by Lovell in partnership with local authorities to provide over 800 new homes. Wholly funded by Lovell on behalf of the council, it gives the participating council 100 per cent nomination rights over Choice homes with no impact on social housing grant, debt redemption or the housing investment programme. In London and the South East, Choice has allowed key workers on low-to-middle incomes to buy at a 30 per cent discount to market value. The scheme has also been used in south Wales to provide low-cost housing for local people, and in Oxfordshire to allow owner-occupiers of former non-mortgageable system-built council homes to transfer the equity to a brand-new replacement property.
How Choice works:
. The council makes the land available - usually at nil cost - and Lovell enters into a 'building under licence' agreement. As Lovell does not own the land, the council retains an appreciating asset
. Lovell develops and markets the homes using its own private finance
. The council nominates purchasers from its waiting list who buy the home at an agreed discount - normally 30 per cent - to the market value
. The homebuyer pays no rent on the remaining equity, which is effectively owned by the council
. When the purchaser comes to sell, the property must be offered to a council nominee, ensuring that the home remains affordable in perpetuity.
Fast-track construction
With a target set for a quarter of all new affordable housing funded by the Housing Corporation to be built using modern methods of construction (MMC), Lovell has taken the lead in exploring and developing new systems of housing manufacture and construction.
The company is at the forefront of a number of pioneering MMC schemes, including the country's largest off-site project in partnership with urban regeneration company New East Manchester at Beswick in Manchester. Here, the Kingspan TEK Building System, a structural insulated panel (SIP) system, is being used to deliver a 550-unit development, 'The Way', featuring a striking, futuristic design. Lovell is currently talking to Kingspan about formalising its relationship with the company to become its preferred contractor in the UK.
At the same time, Lovell has been involved in the development of a ground-breaking timber-frame modular housing solution with Flagship Housing Group. This innovative concept, developed by the FOLIO strategic partnership spearheaded by Flagship and Lovell, is achieving reduced build times and improved quality and, crucially, is the first system to deliver within the Housing Corporation's cost parameters. The modular housing solution makes it possible to build a two-storey house which is fully finished internally in just six hours, leaving only the external cladding and roof to be completed.
Major cost savings
Refurbishment is a key area for Lovell, and the company is involved in some of the UK's biggest housing modernisation programmes. In Coventry, for example, Lovell has been working with Whitefriars Housing Group on its 19,000-home refurbishment programme which is on course to finish a year early thanks to a highly successful partnership approach, which has also generated cost savings of ?3 million for the Housing Group.
The success of this approach has been highlighted in the Communities Plan where it was praised as a good practice example of a successful partnering initiative that has saved time and money and achieved excellent customer satisfaction levels. "Partnering streamlines the whole process avoiding the 'blame culture', delays and adversarial approach associated with conventional contracting," says Lorraine Knibb, head of programmed works for Whitefriars Housing Group. "Without partnering we would never have been able to fulfil our promises to tenants."
The company's expertise in urban regeneration is bringing new life to areas of low demand. In Manchester, for example, the company is working with urban regeneration company New East Manchester on a ?55 million, 500-home mixed tenure regeneration scheme using Housing Market Renewal funding, which is set to revive the Toxteth Street area. In Bow, east London, Lovell is working on a ?49 million mixed tenure housing scheme which will create 262 new homes - including affordable housing for the Guinness Trust - as part of Tower Hamlets Housing Action Trust's redevelopment programme for the area.
Jobs and training
Creating sustainable, integrated communities is about more than bricks and mortar; it is also about adding value. Lovell is committed to providing job and training opportunities in the neighbourhoods where the company works - lasting benefits, which remain beyond the completion of the actual building work.
With the construction industry facing a major skills shortage, Lovell has made the development of innovative training opportunities a cornerstone of its business strategy, developing its own training programmes for craft trades and management. This year, the Lovell Craft Academy, a new national apprentice training centre solely for Lovell trainees, opened at Stephenson College, Coalville, Leicestershire. The company currently has more than 120 construction apprentices.
Lovell is also working with school students across the UK through its unique Company Mentoring Scheme, which allows teenagers to develop business skills and find out more about construction career opportunities by tackling projects related to the housebuilding industry. One of the initiative's main objectives is to encourage more youngsters into construction and Lovell has just taken on its first two employees recruited through the scheme.
Skilled in cost-modelling and cross-subsidy arrangements to fund community activities, buildings and affordable rented housing, Lovell is also committed to providing job and training opportunities through a range of imaginative training initiatives.
Homes for key workers - Lovell has the solution
At St Mary's Village in Hackney, London, a demand-led mixed tenure development by Lovell - the first of its kind - has transformed a run-down 1960s estate to provide affordable homes for key workers alongside open market housing and shared-ownership homes. Key workers have been able to get on to the property ladder through the company's own form of low-cost home ownership, 'Lovell Choice'.
Designed to provide affordable housing for council nominees, Choice has been successfully used by Lovell in partnership with local authorities to provide over 800 new homes. Wholly funded by Lovell on behalf of the council, it gives the participating council 100 per cent nomination rights over Choice homes with no impact on social housing grant, debt redemption or the housing investment programme. In London and the South East, Choice has allowed key workers on low-to-middle incomes to buy at a 30 per cent discount to market value. The scheme has also been used in south Wales to provide low-cost housing for local people, and in Oxfordshire to allow owner-occupiers of former non-mortgageable system-built council homes to transfer the equity to a brand-new replacement property.
How Choice works:
. The council makes the land available - usually at nil cost - and Lovell enters into a 'building under licence' agreement. As Lovell does not own the land, the council retains an appreciating asset
. Lovell develops and markets the homes using its own private finance
. The council nominates purchasers from its waiting list who buy the home at an agreed discount - normally 30 per cent - to the market value
. The homebuyer pays no rent on the remaining equity, which is effectively owned by the council
. When the purchaser comes to sell, the property must be offered to a council nominee, ensuring that the home remains affordable in perpetuity.
Fast-track construction
With a target set for a quarter of all new affordable housing funded by the Housing Corporation to be built using modern methods of construction (MMC), Lovell has taken the lead in exploring and developing new systems of housing manufacture and construction.
The company is at the forefront of a number of pioneering MMC schemes, including the country's largest off-site project in partnership with urban regeneration company New East Manchester at Beswick in Manchester. Here, the Kingspan TEK Building System, a structural insulated panel (SIP) system, is being used to deliver a 550-unit development, 'The Way', featuring a striking, futuristic design. Lovell is currently talking to Kingspan about formalising its relationship with the company to become its preferred contractor in the UK.
At the same time, Lovell has been involved in the development of a ground-breaking timber-frame modular housing solution with Flagship Housing Group. This innovative concept, developed by the FOLIO strategic partnership spearheaded by Flagship and Lovell, is achieving reduced build times and improved quality and, crucially, is the first system to deliver within the Housing Corporation's cost parameters. The modular housing solution makes it possible to build a two-storey house which is fully finished internally in just six hours, leaving only the external cladding and roof to be completed.
Major cost savings
Refurbishment is a key area for Lovell, and the company is involved in some of the UK's biggest housing modernisation programmes. In Coventry, for example, Lovell has been working with Whitefriars Housing Group on its 19,000-home refurbishment programme which is on course to finish a year early thanks to a highly successful partnership approach, which has also generated cost savings of ?3 million for the Housing Group.
The success of this approach has been highlighted in the Communities Plan where it was praised as a good practice example of a successful partnering initiative that has saved time and money and achieved excellent customer satisfaction levels. "Partnering streamlines the whole process avoiding the 'blame culture', delays and adversarial approach associated with conventional contracting," says Lorraine Knibb, head of programmed works for Whitefriars Housing Group. "Without partnering we would never have been able to fulfil our promises to tenants."
The company's expertise in urban regeneration is bringing new life to areas of low demand. In Manchester, for example, the company is working with urban regeneration company New East Manchester on a ?55 million, 500-home mixed tenure regeneration scheme using Housing Market Renewal funding, which is set to revive the Toxteth Street area. In Bow, east London, Lovell is working on a ?49 million mixed tenure housing scheme which will create 262 new homes - including affordable housing for the Guinness Trust - as part of Tower Hamlets Housing Action Trust's redevelopment programme for the area.
Jobs and training
Creating sustainable, integrated communities is about more than bricks and mortar; it is also about adding value. Lovell is committed to providing job and training opportunities in the neighbourhoods where the company works - lasting benefits, which remain beyond the completion of the actual building work.
With the construction industry facing a major skills shortage, Lovell has made the development of innovative training opportunities a cornerstone of its business strategy, developing its own training programmes for craft trades and management. This year, the Lovell Craft Academy, a new national apprentice training centre solely for Lovell trainees, opened at Stephenson College, Coalville, Leicestershire. The company currently has more than 120 construction apprentices.
Lovell is also working with school students across the UK through its unique Company Mentoring Scheme, which allows teenagers to develop business skills and find out more about construction career opportunities by tackling projects related to the housebuilding industry. One of the initiative's main objectives is to encourage more youngsters into construction and Lovell has just taken on its first two employees recruited through the scheme.
For further information, contact Lovell Strategy Director Mary Lynch on 01827 305600 or e-mail enquiries@lovell.co.uk
Copyright © 2006 Blake.