Manchester landlord sets out ambitious 10,000-home growth plan

Southway’s plan involves expanding beyond its core areas of Burnage, Chorlton, Didsbury and Withington, to new neighbourhoods in east Manchester, Trafford, Stockport and Tameside.

It will also be built around six themes: homes, customers, neighbourhoods and communities, sustainability, growth and colleagues.

Each will come with clear actions to meet targets. With that in mind, the landlord has committed to investing £5m in communities to support customers’ independence, health and well-being.

The five-year plan was developed in conjunction with its residents, with the landlord receiving over 1,000 responses from customers and colleagues as part of surveys, workshops and events.

Hazel Makinson, chair of Southway’s parent board, said: “It’s been great to see this plan develop in close collaboration with customers, and the board is confident that it helps to secure a strong future for Southway and its communities.”

The landlord said it had taken the opportunity to freshen its brand with a new customer voice strategy which details plans for three new customer groups due to start this year.

This includes a panel to oversee the customer involvement strategy and two service improvement groups, one for customer experience and one for asset management, covering home improvement works.

​John Bowker, who became chief executive of Southway in July, said: “I’m delighted that our new corporate plan has been shaped by customers and colleagues.

“The fantastic amount of feedback enabled us to focus on what matters most to our communities, and this has resulted in a plan that we believe will have a positive and long-lasting impact.

“Our new plan strives for continuous improvement, builds resilience to overcome challenges and puts us in a strong position to address the housing crisis.”

Mr Bowker replaced Karen Mitchell when she retired from the housing association after 17 years. In January, the provider strengthened its leadership team by appointing Paul Howes in the new role of executive director of corporate services.