Building new homes

In 2023/24 we continued to deliver on our development goals, building new homes that give people the chance to live in a modern, affordable home.

The completion of Yeatman Court

In 2023 we completed Yeatman Court, a sustainable, modern development in North Watford. It is made up of 145 one- and two-bedroom affordable homes catering to all rent levels, including 63 affordable rent, 12 social rent and 70 shared ownership.

Yeatman Court is a unique development, and we wanted to make sure that we preserved not only the look of the timeless and historic art deco building that stood there before, but also its legacy. The name Yeatman Court was chosen as the building was originally home to Yeatmans sweet factory. It later became the head office of Mothercare, so has been an important part of Watford’s history for many years. 

Sustainability was a key factor in this development – every home will achieve at least an EPC band C rating and will benefit from energy-saving solar panels on the roof. There is also the opportunity to install multiple charging points for electric vehicles, a communal garden with space to grow fruit and vegetables, and a car club that will encourage ridesharing. With over 160 employers within a 20-minute walk of Yeatman Court, we contacted them directly to inform them of this new development and to give their staff an opportunity to register their interest for a new, affordable home. 

We developed the scheme using Homes England Funding, endorsed by Watford Borough Council, which enabled the scheme to be 100% affordable.

Supporting our workforce

Working in partnership with the University of Hertfordshire, we have proudly taken on five apprentices who are currently completing a chartered management degree. This degree-level apprenticeship is giving them a great variety of knowledge and experience from across our Property and Partnerships teams. We also had a colleague successfully complete their electrical apprenticeship and are supporting members of our team who are taking on their Chartered Surveyor qualifications, all of which ensures we are constantly improving our workforce to deliver a better service for our customers. 

201 new homes completed – 

16 for social rent, as well as homes for 

affordable rent and shared ownership

Providing new homes across Hertfordshire

We have continued to have great success in delivering homes through partnerships with key local authority partners and other organisations.

We completed our sales programme for The Letterpress – a development which was delivered by Hart Homes, our joint venture with Watford Borough Council – and consists of 86 new homes including four for social rent, 15 for affordable rent, four for shared ownership and 63 for market sale.

Through our partnership with developer Griggs Homes, we also completed two sites in Hertsmere – six homes in Cowley Hill and a further six in Bentley Heath.

We broke ground on Foxgrove Path in Three Rivers, our first partnership with Howarth Homes, which will deliver 53 affordable homes in South Oxhey. 

Works began on an exciting new development in St Albans called Jubilee Square. This will consist of 93 new homes, including 33 for social rent and 60 for shared ownership.

By partnering with Hertsmere Borough Council, we secured a £5 million Local Authority Housing Fund grant to provide even more affordable homes and increase investment through our Hertsmere Living joint venture.